Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
1.Matters of the Heart
2.Understanding the Heart
3.The Functions of the Heart
4.Heart of “Stone” or Heart of “Flesh”?
5.Healing for an Offended Heart
6.Freedom from a Heart of Unbelief
7.The Obedient Heart
8.The Heart Surrendered to God
9.The Broken Heart
10.The Supernatural Transformation of the Mind
11.A Heart After God’s Own Heart
12.Conformed to Religion or Transformed by His
Presence
About the Author
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken
from the New King James Version, © 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (kjv) are taken from the King
James Version of the Holy Bible. Scripture quotations marked
(niv) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International
Version ® , niv ® , © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible
Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked (niv2011) is taken from the Holy
Bible, New International Version ® , niv ® , © 1973, 1978, 1984,
2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved
worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (nasb) are taken from
the New American Standard Bible® , nasb ® , © 1960, 1962,
1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman
Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).

Boldface type in the Scripture quotations indicates the

author’s emphasis.

Some definitions of Hebrew and Greek words are taken from the
electronic version of Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible, strong, (© 1980, 1986, and assigned to World Bible
Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.), the
electronic version of the New American Standard Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible, nasc, (© 1981 by The Lockman
Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.), or
Vine’s Complete Expository
Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, vine, (© 1985 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
Publishers, Nashville, TN. All rights reserved.).
All dictionary definitions are taken from Merriam-Webster.com,
2014,
http://www.merriam-webster.com.

Supernatural Transformation:
Change Your Heart into God’s Heart

Guillermo Maldonado 13651 S.W. 143rd Ct., #101

Miami, FL 33186
http://kingjesusministry.org/
www.ERJPub.org

ISBN: 978-1-62911-195-7
eBook ISBN: 978-1-62911-196-4
© 2014 by Guillermo Maldonado Whitaker House

1030 Hunt Valley Circle New Kensington, PA 15068

www.whitakerhouse.com

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1
 Matters of the Heart

What is the most important question you’ve ever been

asked?
During Jesus’ ministry on earth, one of the religious scribes
asked Him to name the one commandment—of all God’s
commandments—that was “first,” or most significant. (See
Mark 12:28.) Such a question is the equivalent of asking,
“What is the most important thing in the world?”
Jesus answered, “The first of all the commandments is:…‘You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength’” (Mark
12:29–30). Then He immediately linked that commandment with
another: “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater
than these” (Mark 12:31).
Entrance to the Kingdom
The scribe who had asked this question replied that he agreed
with Jesus’ answer, saying that to love God wholeheartedly
and to love your neighbor as yourself “is more than all the
whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33). Jesus
responded by telling him, “You are not far from the kingdom of
God” (Mark 12:34).
From this exchange, we see that entering God’s kingdom—and
living according to that kingdom—is, at its essence, a matter of
the heart. The most important thing we can do is to love God
with our entire being.
 What Is the Heart?
Physically speaking, the heart is the central organ of the
human body. Its function is to circulate the blood throughout
the whole bodily system, pumping oxygen and nutrients to the
other organs and pulling toxins away from them. If the heart
stops beating permanently, bodily life ends; obviously, the
heart is indispensable. A human being’s entire physiological
system is designed to safeguard this organ, above all others.
For example, in extremely cold conditions, the blood begins to
retract from the extremities in order to maintain the integrity of
the heart.
We have another “heart” that is the center of our spiritual
being. The Scriptures say, “Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and
body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). A human being is a spirit that
has a soul and lives in a physical body. The sense in which I
use the term “heart” in this book is principally the spirit, but it
also includes the spirit’s interactions and connections with the
soul—which is the moral seat of humanity and consists of the
mind, the will, and the emotions.
The Foundation of Our Being and Character
The word “heart” appears hundreds of times in the Scriptures.
In the Old Testament, the words most often translated “heart”
are the related Hebrew terms lebab (H3824) and leb (H3820).
Lebab means “the heart as the most interior organ,” and this
term is also used in the same sense as leb. Leb means “the
heart; also used figuratively very widely for the feelings, the
will and even the intellect.”
So, figuratively, these terms refer to the inner being of humans
—our very core, including our feelings, desires, will, and
intellect. In the New Testament, the main word translated
“heart” is kardia, which, in a figurative sense, indicates “the
thoughts or feelings (mind).” Our heart is our true self, and it is
the catalyst for our desires, motives, intentions, and actions. A
desire is “a strong wish: a wish for something or to do
something.” A motive is “something (as a need or desire) that
causes a person to act.” An intention is “the thing that you
plan to do or achieve: an aim or purpose.”
Another term the Bible uses to refer to the heart, or spirit, is
“inner man”: “That [God] would grant you, according to the
riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His
Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). Again, the heart is the
core, or identity, of the human being. It is the most complex,
sacred, and intimate part of a person—the foundation of his
whole being and character, from which his desires, designs,
purposes, will, thoughts, and attitudes originate.
Accordingly, the condition of our heart will be the condition of
our life. The state of our spiritual heart affects all aspects of our
daily living. Every spiritual, mental, and emotional matter—and
many physical ones—is rooted in the heart.
Becoming Spiritually Heart-Healthy
“Heart-healthy” is a popular phrase today. We hear it from
doctors, nutritionists, fitness instructors, and food
manufacturers who want to encourage us to pursue a lifestyle
of “wellness” that will strengthen our cardiovascular
endurance, prevent heart disease, and promote long life. We
are encouraged to choose a healthy lifestyle through exercising
regularly and by eating nutritious meals—making use of
resources such as heart-healthy cookbooks, diets, and
restaurant options. In the United States, the American Heart
Association’s symbol for an approved heart-healthy product is
a red heart with a white check mark in it.
As we will explore further in chapter 2, every human being is
faced with a spiritual health issue—we all have “heart disease”
and need to become spiritually heart-healthy. The Scriptures
say, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Although our heart
is the center of our being, many people do not truly understand
the heart and how it functions. Jesus Christ came to earth not
only to reveal God the Father to us but also to reveal ourselves
to us. He wants us to understand the nature of our heart and
how it affects our relationship with our heavenly Father and
other human beings, as well as the whole course of our life.
Even when we have been forgiven and reconciled to God
through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us, we must actively
focus on this matter of the heart and the spiritual laws God has
“written” there (see, for example, Hebrews 8:10), so that we will
know the fullness of life He desires for us. Heart issues often
keep us from overcoming the problems and hindrances in our
life. God wants us to experience a transformation of the heart
that will make us whole again.
Every spiritual, mental, and emotional matter—and many
physical ones—is rooted in the heart.
 The Scriptures encourage us to have a heart-healthy spiritual
lifestyle, gaining God’s seal of approval for the state of our
heart. A strong spiritual heart enables us to be all God created
us to be and to fulfill His will in the momentous times in which
we are living. Thus, we need to have a steady diet of God’s
Word and to exercise specific spiritual principles and
commands related to our heart, for the welfare of our inner
being. A healthy spiritual heart is our supernatural lifeline to
God and His purposes.
What Comes Out of the Heart?
How would Jesus, the Great Physician, assess the current
condition of your heart? The Scripture juxtaposes two
fundamental conditions of the human heart—a heart that has
“good treasure” in it, and a heart that has “evil treasure” in it:
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth
good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his
mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45) Let’s compare these two kinds of
“treasures”:
The heart with good treasure is full of kindness,
humility, purity, obedience, righteousness, and
spiritual strength. It has the ability to love, submit
to, and surrender to God, in accordance with His
purpose and will.
The heart with evil treasure disbelieves God, is
easily wounded, becomes offended, and refuses
to forgive; it is full of disobedience, selfishness,
ambition, and pride—it has become hardened.
 Have you thought about what type of treasure you are storing
up in your heart? Jesus said, “For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Even as we grow in grace, we still manifest a mixture of good
and evil treasures within us. At times, we reveal the good
treasure that is within us through the Holy Spirit. Other times,
we manifest an aspect of the evil treasure, demonstrating that
we need the Spirit of Christ to reign in that area, removing the
corruption and cleansing us, so that we may live in “newness
of life” (Romans 6:4; see also 2 Peter 1:3–10).
The apostle James wrote about the spiritual incompatibility of
a mixture of the two natures: With [our tongue] we bless our
God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made
in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed
blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to
be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the
same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a
grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and
fres h. (James 3:9–12) The words that we say, including the
ways in which we express ourselves and communicate with
others, reflect the nature of our heart in some way. “For out of
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew
12:34).
Similarly, any action we take, whether it is good or evil, comes
from a motivation or intention of our heart. This means that all
wrongdoing is conceived in the heart first. Jesus said, “For
from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness,
wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a
man” (Mark 7:21–23). For example, if you have an arrogant
attitude, it means that your heart still harbors arrogance; it
doesn’t reflect its true identity in Christ, who is “humble in
heart” (Matthew 11:29 niv). However, if you consistently
exhibit an attitude of genuine humility, then you have a humble
heart, reflecting the nature of God in that area of your life.
Likewise, if you project an attitude of resentment or anger, you
prove that your heart is wounded and bitter; you may feel the
need to protect yourself from being hurt again, so you lash out
at others. Or, if you are insensitive to the needs of your family
and to the obvious human pain around you, it shows that you
have a hardened heart.
You may wonder, “How can I love God to the extent that I
commit my whole being—heart, soul, mind, and strength—
when my heart is in the condition you described?” On our own,
none of us can. But our heart will be transformed as we
respond to God’s deep love for us: “We love Him because He
first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
God is ready even now to change our heart to be like His heart
through a supernatural transformation. Only the work of God’s
Holy Spirit within us can effect a total transformation of our
heart. And our heart is the key to our soul, mind, and strength,
as well. God wants us to yield to Him and actively cooperate in
the process of transforming our heart. That transformation
begins with the new birth (see John 3:3–7) and progresses
throughout our life as we daily grow to be more like our
heavenly Father.
A woman named Victoria experienced a change in her heart
that led to an encounter with Jesus as her Savior and King.
Here is her story: “In early 1990, I arrived in New York as a
refugee from Kiev, Ukraine. Financially, I had always been
blessed; however, relationally—specifically in marriage—I had
experienced destruction, and I was twice divorced. My two
daughters were without a father, so I began to look for answers
from above.
“I started exploring Eastern religions like Buddhism, but my life
seemed to become more complicated than ever. One day, I cried
out to God, saying, ‘God, I haven’t found You in the Jewish
traditions, in Eastern religions, or in Russian Orthodox
churches. Please tell me who You are. Change my life.’ While
visiting my father in the Czech Republic, I met a Russian couple
who introduced themselves as Christian evangelists. They
prayed for me, and when I got back to New York, everywhere I
went, I received Bibles as gifts.
“On Christmas Day 2000, someone gave me recordings of the
New Testament and told me, ‘Victoria, when you drive in your
car, please listen to those tapes.’ I did, and something started
happening—an atmosphere filled my car, and that atmosphere
began to draw me to my vehicle to listen to the tapes. Day after
day, I would cry in my car, without understanding what was
going on with my heart.
“After I finished listening to the gospel of John, I felt like I was
ready to give birth. When I heard the name of Jesus, I felt heat
inside me. Later that day, I got a phone call from the person
who had given me the tapes. He gave me the address of a
church where a service would be held on that very day. I went
to the service and liked what I heard on that first Thursday
night of 2001. During the worship, the Lord opened my spiritual
eyes, and I saw Jesus. I didn’t see Him as on an icon but alive,
as a King. And the Holy Spirit told me that He is the Messiah. I
couldn’t hear the preaching; I was crying so hard and
repenting of my sin, for which I felt so dirty.
“I knew that I had come to the house of my Father and there
was no turning back. I was born again—radically! As I
progressed in my walk with the Lord, I began to seek healing
and deliverance, elements that were missing in my church.
There was a lot of knowledge there but very little
demonstration of it. After years in the ministry, the Lord
brought me to King Jesus International Ministry in October
2010.
“Today, I am a woman of purpose and destiny. I am single and
completely fulfilled in the Lord. For the first time in my life, I
feel like a daughter of the King. Before, I knew the Lord, but
His kingdom wasn’t a clear part of the picture to me. Now I
have discovered the kingdom, and I am so grateful.”
Monitoring Our Heart
We know that, generally, the condition of our physical heart
determines the health of our body. Even in routine checkups at
the doctor’s office, medical personnel review our heart rate and
blood pressure to help them determine our overall health. And,
if they discover a problem—if our pulse is high, for example—
they may advise us to make adjustments to our diet or get more
regular exercise.
Moreover, when someone is admitted to the hospital, nurses
and other medical technicians will continually record the
patient’s vital signs. Among other things, they monitor the
electrical activity of his heart, determining whether the heart
rate is consistent and within normal range. If not, medications
and/or other treatments may be called for.
In a similar way, we need to regularly assess the condition of
our spiritual heart. Maintaining a healthy heart before God is a
matter of vigilance. We must monitor the operations of our
inmost being and evaluate whether we are living according to
the life and purposes of our heavenly Father.
An Ongoing Process
The verb monitor means “to watch, observe, listen to, or
check (something) for a special purpose over a period of time.”
Again, monitoring our heart is an ongoing process. It is
something we should do willingly, and always in conjunction
with God’s Holy Spirit within us, for the purpose of becoming
more like the Father. No one except God can truly “see” and
know our inner being. After stating, “The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9), the Scriptures say, “I, the Lord, search the
heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his
ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10).
God knows us completely. Therefore, when we become aware
of a problem in our heart—whether that awareness comes
through reading and studying God’s Word or the direct
prompting and conviction of the Holy Spirit—we must address
it so that we can lead joyful and productive lives before God
and maintain a close relationship with Him. Only if we are
spiritually healthy can we be alert and ready to respond to the
moves of God’s Spirit in our own lives and in His church.
The Issues of Life
The book of Proverbs tells us, “Keep your heart with all
diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Here is the same verse in two other translations: “Above all
else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (niv).
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the
springs of life” (nasb).
The word translated “keep” or “guard” or “watch over”
includes the idea of protecting or maintaining. The combined
sense of these translations of Proverbs 4:23 is that our heart
requires our diligent oversight, and it needs to be defended
from attack by negative spiritual forces and anything else that
would do it harm.
Let us now look at the larger context of the above verse: My
son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my
sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in
the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them,
and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence,
for out of it spring the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:20–23) Note
that there are specific criteria by which we are to oversee our
heart. The speaker in Proverbs 4 encouraged his son to keep
his father’s words in his heart and to obtain “wisdom” and
“understanding.” (See Proverbs 4:4–6.) In that way, he would
develop into a righteous man. It is only when we keep God’s
Word in our heart and follow His commandments and wisdom
that our heart will produce a “wellspring of life.”1
Proverbs 4 also says: “The path of the just is like the shining
sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. The way of
the wicked is like darkness; they do not know what makes
them stumble” (Proverbs 4:18–19). Our heart determines the
path of our life; therefore, it is our most precious possession
and our most crucial resource.
The condition of your heart will be the condition of your life.
Life Begins in the Heart
We know that wrongdoing begins in the heart. However,
godly life also begins in the heart. All of us have areas in our
life that we need to align with God’s ways. That kind of change
can occur only through God’s supernatural transformation.
As I indicated earlier, the condition of our heart affects all
aspects of our life. For instance, a person’s physical ailment
can sometimes be traced to unforgiveness in his heart. One
time, when I was teaching about the topic of the spiritual heart
during a service, the Lord led me to demonstrate that many
infirmities, including those of the mind and emotions, are
connected to a lack of forgiveness. I called forward anyone
who had various maladies, such as physical affliction or
depression, and I led them to repent of their sins, to forgive
others, to ask for forgiveness, and to renounce any bitterness
and unforgiveness they were harboring in their hearts. Without
exaggeration, after they did this and offered a simple prayer to
God, about 250 people were delivered—they were healed
instantly of diabetes, arthritis, depression, and many other
ailments!
Another clear example of this truth may be seen in the life of a
businesswoman named Lesley who attended one of the Inner
Healing and Deliverance Retreats that our ministry periodically
hosts. She writes, “Before knowing Christ, I had resentment,
doubt, and bitterness toward my family. It was so great that I
even lost my sight in a matter of weeks. After consulting
several doctors, I discovered there were no eye drops,
eyeglasses, or operations that could help me, or anything else
they could do for me. The blindness was chronic and without
apparent cause! Then, I decided to surrender this situation to
God. Even though I had received messages through my family
and even strangers to forgive the family members with whom I
had problems, I never thought that this had anything to do
with my blindness. But, one day, my cousin Denise told me
that the Lord had shown her there was nothing wrong with my
eyes, that the only thing I had to do was forgive, because it
was a spiritual matter. She invited me to attend a deliverance
retreat, but I didn’t want to go. Since the registration for the
retreat was limited, I asked God that if it was His will for me to
go, a spot would be opened for me, and it was! Reluctantly, I
attended, and there I received revelation about unforgiveness
and what curses are. I forgave, then renounced and canceled
every curse in my life, and I was free. People prayed for me, and
God gave me back my sight—immediately!”
Our attitudes are a projection of our heart.
Fresh Revelation About the Heart
This book is a journey into the human heart, exploring its
purpose, motivations, and potential. We will come to
understand and identify our true self and make key decisions
with respect to our “inner man.” Today, there is no place for
being spiritually lukewarm; we cannot remain spiritually
neutral. In this day and age, God is bringing fresh revelation to
His people regarding the state of our heart. I believe the reason
is that the return of Jesus Christ to the earth is near, and hard
times will precede His coming—as foretold by the Bible.
The apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy, “But
know this, that in the last days perilous times will come” (2
Timothy 3:1). Why did Paul emphasize his statement by
preceding it with “Know this…”? Paul understood human
nature and its tendency toward degradation, incurring the
judgment of God. In another Bible version, the phrase
“perilous times” is translated “terrible times” (niv). If there
was ever a time in history for which that phrase was
appropriate, it is this one. God’s judgment will come upon the
earth, even if many people think it will never happen. I believe
it will take place in three stages—a preliminary judgment, an
intermediate judgment, and the final judgment—and that we are
now in the preliminary judgment stage.
God’s grace has provided salvation and redemption in Christ,
but the perpetual corruption and rebellion within humanity
continue to provoke divine judgment. There is no need to
blame governments, religions, or other factors for the judgment
that our planet and the human race is now undergoing. The
basic cause is the degradation of human character resulting
from the iniquity entrenched in the human heart.
The apostle Paul listed eighteen character failings that would
mark people in the end times. Again, they describe our present
generation: “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-
control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong,
haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2
Timothy 3:2–5).
These negative impulses will try to pull our heart away from
our heavenly Father. We are entering a period when our heart
will be weighed in the balance to see on which side we will end
up. The situations in our life and the circumstances of the
world will soon compel us to decide where our allegiance
belongs—to God’s interests or to selfish interests; to the
“good treasure” or to the “evil treasure.” Will we be prepared
to make the right decision?
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up
your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes
and rains righteousness on you” (Hosea 10:12). It is time to
seek the Lord with all our heart. We must have a heart that God
can trust to follow Him and obey what He calls us to do, so
that we may participate in the manifestation of His coming
glory and the last great harvest of souls upon the earth.
Radical and Permanent Transformation
God’s plan is not to place patches over the “holes” in our
heart caused by our spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical
issues. He does not try to “fix” or “improve” the corruption of
our heart, and He doesn’t gloss over sin. As we will discuss in
chapter 2, these are the approaches that various religions take.
Instead, His plan involves a radical and permanent
transformation of the heart.
In the coming chapters, therefore, we will examine the original
nature of the human heart. We will learn what it means for our
heart to be “circumcised,” how to forgive others and thereby
receive healing for an offended heart, and how to gain freedom
from a heart of unbelief.
We will also discover the purpose for brokenness of heart, as
well as how to surrender our heart completely to the Lord so it
can be a true reflection of His own heart of love, justice, joy,
and other divine qualities. And, we will learn how to experience
transformation through the renewing of our mind in the
presence of God (see Romans 12:2), so that we may experience
both deep and far-reaching change in our life.
Do you want to change your life? Change your heart!
The psalmist wrote, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward
parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know
wisdom” (Psalm 51:6). God has provided the only solution for
the corruption of the human heart: repentance, identification
with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, new birth
through the Spirit of God, and ongoing transformation into the
image of our Creator. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You can become a new
person, a new creation, through the supernatural
transformation of your heart.

1. See The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Charles F. Pfeiffer and

Everett F. Harrison, eds. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), 561.
2
 Understanding the Heart

From the beginning, it was God’s desire and purpose for

human beings to have a heart like His. The Scriptures tell us:
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according
to Our likeness….’ So God created man in His own image; in
the image of God He created him; male and female He created
them” (Genesis 1:26–27). God also breathed into humanity His
own Spirit: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7).
Humans, therefore, were made with a heart, or spirit, fashioned
after their Creator’s. This heart was pure and complete, filled
with God’s nature and character.
A Devastating Change of Heart
But the first human beings, Adam and Eve, turned away from
God’s heart and the nature in which they had been created.
Instead of cherishing God’s instructions and wisdom, they
willfully disobeyed Him. God had commanded them not to eat
of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, warning them that
if they did so, they would die. Tragically, they listened to the
voice of God’s enemy, Satan (the devil), who told them, “You
will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it
your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing
good and evil” (Genesis 3:4).
Enticed by a promise of “being like God”—although they had
already been made in His image—the first man and woman
went against their Creator. Their rejection of God’s heart
resulted in a terrible change in the human heart, giving human
beings an all-too-familiar knowledge of evil, because it was
now within them. Their disobedience, or sin, resulted in their
fall from their true selves and the loss of their innocence—it
initiated the corruption of the human heart.
With their fall, human beings brought a difficult and cursed life
on themselves. (See Genesis 3:1–19.) And they did experience
death, for “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). First,
their hearts underwent spiritual death. And second, they
eventually—and inevitably—experienced physical death. One
of the most devastating results of the fall for humans was their
removal from the immediate presence of God, no longer to
enjoy direct fellowship with Him. (See Genesis 3:22–24.) Yet
God never departed from His faithfulness to His beloved
creation or His desire that they be restored to a close
relationship with Him.
A Corrupt Inheritance
All human beings descend from the first man and woman who
turned their hearts away from God, and therefore we have all
inherited their corrupt nature. From the point of Adam and
Eve’s disobedience, humanity’s corruption continued in
human history until it reached this peak: “Then the Lord saw
that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually” (Genesis 6:5). This was the point when God
destroyed the world through a flood—the only survivors being
Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives, whom God
preserved. (See Genesis 6.) If the heart of the human race was
ever to be restored to Him, human beings would have to exist
under vastly more humble circumstances that would cause
them to reach out to their heavenly Father.
Noah was the most righteous man on the earth at the time of
the flood, and that is why he and his family were spared.
However, even Noah’s heart was affected by the sin nature he
had inherited. And, although the earth was repopulated by
Noah’s family, corruption infiltrated the world again, and
people’s hearts withdrew from God once more. This is the
inevitable legacy of our corrupt nature.
Ever since humanity’s initial act of disobedience, therefore,
human beings have followed after the lusts of their fallen
hearts, to varying degrees. We all have sinned, and we all
continue to sin, in various ways. As the apostle Paul wrote,
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.…Through
one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus
death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 3:23;
5:12).
An Irreversible Condition
The corruption in the heart of humanity is irreversible in the
natural. No human power can alter or remove it. It is similar to
rotten fruit: There is no way to reverse the process so that the
fruit becomes whole again. Once a piece of fruit is spoiled, it is
inedible. Moreover, it must be separated from other pieces of
fruit, or it will contaminate them.
Corruption may take a while to occur, but, when it does, the
process cannot be stopped. This is why none of us can
produce a pure heart, in and of ourselves. As hard as we might
try to embrace goodness, the iniquity we inherited through our
human descent from Adam and Eve contaminates our heart
from birth.
Left to ourselves, then, we are hopelessly corrupt, exhibiting
various “treasures” of the evil heart that we discussed in
chapter 1, such as wicked thoughts, covetousness, deceit,
pride, foolishness, selfishness, adultery, and murder. Sin leads
to death in many forms. Whether immediately or in future
generations, iniquity will produce its corruptive effects—
always downward, always getting worse. The extreme cases of
degradation we observe in our society did not take place
suddenly or in one generation. Human morality has continually
disintegrated until it has reached the evil condition we are
witnessing today.
No human power can reverse humanity’s moral, ethical, or
physical corruption.
The State of Our World
Throughout history, there have been periods when regions or
even nations have experienced genuine revivals of the Holy
Spirit and reformations that have brought people to God.
During those periods, society as a whole has become godlier.
However, it didn’t take long before people in those regions or
nations forgot about God or began to turn their backs on Him,
just as the descendants of Noah did, and it was only a matter
of time before the effects of heart corruption manifested.
My assessment is that we are living in an age similar to the
one just prior to the great flood. As I wrote in chapter 1, the
condition of our current society is that of a tendency toward
resentment, rebellion, selfishness, hatred, cruelty, violence, and
other manifestations of evil and iniquity. I believe that the
multiplication of wickedness over the last several decades is a
sign of the end times, indicating, as I mentioned earlier, the
imminent culmination of human history with the coming of
Christ. I could cite many current examples of wickedness,
coldness of heart, and so forth, to verify this. We don’t have to
look far to see instances of corruption, all of which are related
to the broken condition of the human heart.
The following are just a few examples of how the most
vulnerable members of the human race—children—are
suffering today in the midst of societies whose leaders and
other citizens are corrupt of heart. These incidents reveal the
depth of despair and wickedness to which humanity without
Christ has sunk.
In China, on the coast of Zhejiang Province, a single woman
apparently hid her pregnancy and then delivered her baby boy
in a public restroom in her apartment building that contained
squat toilets. The baby somehow became stuck in one of the
restroom’s sewage pipes—whether he slipped away from his
mother by accident or she intentionally dropped him there was
not clear. The woman alerted her landlord that a baby was
stuck in the pipe, and firemen had to saw off a section of the
tube to open up the pipe and rescue the boy, who survived.
Charges against the mother were pending.2
In Texas, USA, an eleven-year-old child was “punished” by
his father and stepmother for bad behavior by being locked in
his bedroom for months, and he was given only bread and
water to sustain him. One day, his parents found him lying on
the floor, unresponsive. They washed his body and placed it in
a sleeping bag, eventually abandoning it in a wooded area. The
boy’s grandfather called the police, explaining that it had been
months since he had last seen his grandson. Authorities
investigated and discovered that the boy had spent nine
months isolated in his room, where he had lost weight until he
was only about sixty pounds. He had apparently become so
weak that it had been impossible for him to escape or cry out
for help. He had eventually died of starvation.3
In Mexico, an eight-year-old girl was sexually abused by her
father over a period of several years. While the father would
rape his daughter, the mother would film and take photos of the
assaults, later distributing the material through the Internet to
pedophiles both within Mexico and outside of the country.4
Where does such neglect and outright contempt for one’s
fellow human beings come from? How are humans capable of
evil and violence that seem to have no limits? How can a being
created in God’s image, who has the capacity to think and to
love and to feel compassion for other people, be led by such
animalistic and demonic instincts? In response to these
questions, many people, perhaps in an unconscious desire to
justify their own sinful behavior, ask, “If God is so good, why
do terrible things happen in the world, such as injustice,
cruelty, murders, wars, and natural disasters?”
The answer, as we have seen, is the inherited corrupt
condition of the human heart, also known as the “sinful
nature” (see, for example, Romans 7:5, 18, 25 niv). It is time for
all of us in the human race to assume responsibility for our own
sinful actions and for the corruption humanity brought into
this world, which has infected every generation of human
beings to the present day.
The Root of Sin
The root of sin is pride and selfishness, which is the opposite
of the heart of God. It was pride and selfishness that caused
the first humans to want to be equal with God, so that they
were deceived by the devil to the point of disobeying their
loving Creator. Egocentrism places ourselves first, above
everyone else. The Scriptures say, “For men will be lovers of
themselves,…having a form of godliness but denying its
power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:2, 5).
Genuine godliness—not just a “form” of it—can be obtained
only as the supernatural power of God’s grace changes our
character, removing our selfishness and self-centeredness and
replacing them with love, kindness, empathy, and self-sacrifice
for the sake of others.
Many people attempt to change their natures through
practicing various forms of religion, but the results will always
be limited. Religion can only “patch up” the corruption of the
heart by developing rules and laws that promote good
behavior and positive principles, such as the practice of self-
discipline. However, religion can never profoundly change a
person’s heart; it doesn’t have the power to take away our
fallen nature, which is perpetually self-serving.
Corruption exists in the human heart in different forms and at
different levels, from generating lies to committing mass
murder, but there is a way out for all of us through Jesus
Christ. If we want to change the legacy of our personal history,
if we want to leave our children an inheritance of blessing, if we
want God to heal our nations, we must deal with the root of
humanity’s problems—the corruption of the heart.
Spiritual Warfare over the Hearts of Human Beings
Ever since Satan prompted the first man and woman to reject
God’s command, turning away from His nature, an invisible war
has been taking place for possession of the hearts of all human
beings. God’s kingdom of light and Satan’s kingdom of
darkness are battling even now for our heart. Whoever holds
the heart of someone also holds his potential and his resources
—his entire person. We human beings must decide to whom
we will surrender our heart.
You may say, “What if I decide not to give my heart to either
kingdom? What if I just try to live on my own?” There is no
“neutral zone” in this spiritual conflict. When we choose to live
on our own, apart from God, we effectively choose to side with
God’s enemy, Satan. The kingdom of darkness forcefully takes
over any terrain—especially the human heart—it finds
vulnerable or vacant, using the most subtle weapons and tools
imaginable. (See, for example, Matthew 12:43–45.)
The kingdom of darkness tried to take over the life of a man
named Denis, as well as the life of his wife, Guerda, but the
power of God defeated the enemy and transformed their lives.
The following is their story.
When Denis was still a youth, he moved from Haiti to the
United States with his mother and siblings, although they were
not legal residents. For the first two months, things seemed
good. But then his mother agreed to smuggle drugs into
America from Haiti, and she was caught and arrested. So, Denis
and his sister were sent to live with another family.
Denis’s sister, who was only ten years old, was immediately
exposed to a life of witchcraft and started practicing voodoo,
while Denis soon embarked on a life of robbery by knifepoint
and prostituting girls. Then, he opened a trap (drug) house,
and word of his new “business” spread throughout the streets
of Homestead, Florida, so that he was soon selling and dealing
large quantities of drugs. Denis even experimented with
counterfeit money for a short time. His immoral lifestyle seemed
to have no limits. He started going to strip clubs and buying
women for sex, throwing thousands of dollar bills up in the air,
“making it rain.”
One of the strippers ended up pregnant, and Denis decided to
marry her in order to legalize his residency status. The woman
used him for his money, cheated him, and left him high and dry
without residency status and with an obligation to pay for all
his divorce fees. After this, Denis’s outlook on women
changed. He would take women out, have sex with them, and
then give them money in order to hurt them and make them feel
cheap. He would throw sex parties so that his male friends
could have as many women as they wanted. Denis had become
the type of man everyone was afraid of—he was fearless and
heartless and showed no emotion. He did not believe in rules
or authority other than his own, and he was very prideful.
Then one of his friends was arrested for tax fraud and was
deported to Haiti. This incident opened Denis’s eyes to the
fact that his own reckless lifestyle could catch up with him and
end just as quickly. Denis made a decision to leave his old
ways and settle down, and he got a job working for a school he
had once attended. In addition, he started dating Guerda, a
single mother of three who was trying to live a better life.
Guerda had been a voodoo priest, calling on a spirit that she
was “married” to. She explained, “I would do readings for
people; I would interpret dreams and connect with the dead. I
would have parties for the spirits and provide sacrifices of
dead chickens, doves, and goats. I once ‘killed’ another witch
who crossed me, and she died in Haiti. I would also do spells to
make money.
“Guys feared me and didn’t understand me. I would sleep with
a bunch of demons or spirits; they would never manifest in
human form, but I was always aware that they were in the room
with me. I would cook meals for the spirits, deliver messages to
other people from them, and have dreams with them. They
would tell me that they loved me, that they’d never hurt me. In
one instance, a demon appeared to me in a dream and brought
me to a mason log and showed me many things. He called me
‘Ester, the eastern star.’ He promised me fame, marriage, and
money, but I had to go back to Haiti to claim my mother’s ‘land
mantle.’ He told me there would be a serpent there but not to
fear. The serpent would put something in my mouth, and I
would then be unstoppable. I did whatever I could to get to
Haiti, but everything seemed to block my return.”
Denis and Guerda continued to date and eventually moved in
together. Then, a friend of Guerda’s invited her to a service at
King Jesus Ministry, where Guerda received Jesus Christ as
her Lord and Savior. Guerda brought Denis to another King
Jesus service, and he was saved and baptized within the same
week.
Denis and Guerda attended a youth retreat where inner healing
and deliverance were ministered, and Denis was freed from his
hatred and unforgiveness toward his mother and his ex-wife. In
addition, Denis and Guerda were delivered from bondage to
sexual immorality—Denis from sexual addiction and Guerda
from adultery. “I loved to date married men,” she stated. “I was
a vixen for them.” Guerda was also delivered from witchcraft.
God made Denis and Guerda into new people and reconciled
them to one another. To His glory, the couple got married and
became leaders and mentors in a House of Peace (the church’s
home fellowship ministry). They are learning to become a man
and woman of God. Through God’s supernatural power, they
are now delivering others who have been involved in
witchcraft and those who have been possessed or oppressed
by demons and spirits. They are also being used to liberate
others who have been bound by sexual immorality. Moreover,
they have experienced deliverance of the heart from the
deceitful spirit of pride. Denis and Guerda turned away from the
things that used to be a source of pride to them so that their
hearts could be transformed by God.
The Scriptures tell us: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your
adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith” (1
Peter 5:8–9). “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of
wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). We must
be aware of the fierce struggle for our heart taking place and
make a decision to surrender our life to the Lord, who loves us
and wants to give us His life. In contrast, the enemy hates us
and seeks to destroy us. Jesus said, “The thief [Satan] does
not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have
come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly” (John 10:10).
The goal of the enemy is to take the human heart captive and
to keep it captive.
What Does God See?
In chapter 1, we talked about how our heart, or spirit, is the
source of our desires, motives, and intentions. Although
human beings tend to focus on externals—things that can be
seen with the natural eyes, such as people’s physical
attributes, possessions, or worldly accomplishments—God
sees beyond these superficial elements to the depths of our
being. When God looks at us, He sees the condition of our
heart. “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his
appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have
refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man
looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
What does God see in your heart? He sees the motives,
intentions, and intimate thoughts that come from it, whether
good or evil. Consider these questions: What is your reason
for getting out of bed every morning? What moves you? Is
your primary incentive personal gain, or is it a desire to honor
God? Are you pursuing your own will or God’s will? Do you
speak and act in certain ways in order to be recognized by
other people, or do you speak and act out of love and
reverence for your heavenly Father? Are your actions
prompted by a generous heart or a selfish one? What
motivates you to take care of your family members—or to
neglect them? Do you spend your money on temporal things or
on eternal purposes? Why do you pray, offer praises to God,
or give offerings—or not do any of these things? Is your
reason for serving God that you want to expand His kingdom
and bless other people, or do you merely want to receive credit
for being “godly”?
These are all questions of the heart, and each of us must
address them. Again, “where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). For example, if the treasure
you value is position, fame, or prestige, your heart will be there
also. One way to assess the condition of your heart is to see
where, or in what, you are investing your money. You don’t
even have to examine the large amounts you spend on
necessities, such as mortgage payments or rent, utilities, or
transportation. Instead, look at your small but repeated
expenditures for things that are not necessities, such as
entertainment, fashion accessories, cigarettes, alcoholic
beverages, expensive restaurants, and so forth. If you are
using up large portions of your income on personal items or
habits, that is where your heart is. If you are accumulating
money in a selfish or greedy way, perhaps motivated by a fear
of the future, that is where your heart is. God will reward us if
our heart is right, and He will judge us if it is not: “I will give to
each one of you according to your works…” (Revelation 2:23).
 We need to regularly monitor our own heart, since we know
that God Himself is continually searching it. As Paul wrote,
“For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But
when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we
may not be condemned with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:31–
32).
Rewards in this life and the next depend on the condition
of the heart.
How much of your heart does God require for Him to be the
only Lord of your life? Your whole heart! In what condition is
your heart right now? Is it able to give Him everything? Or, is it
hurt, offended, or shattered, so that it withholds from Him? Do
you have difficulty truly loving or being loved? Do you find
yourself incapable of trusting others and establishing healthy
relationships, so that you flee from your heavenly Father’s
invitation to come to Him? If so, will you allow God to heal you,
transform your heart, and give you a new life, so that you can
draw close to Him and to other people?
Often, we attempt to hide the corruption in our heart from
other people. For example, when we are in public, we may show
a certain “face,” which is really just a mask. In private, we know
who we are in the depths of our heart, and we recognize that
we are deceiving ourselves. If the motives of our heart are
wrong, they will manifest in our decisions and life choices, or
they will emerge when we are under pressure, regardless of the
reputation we have tried to create for ourselves.
There can be no flow of life in the areas of our heart that we
haven’t given over to God.
 The Restoration of the Heart
“The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)—the death of
the spiritual heart and the death of the physical body. But that
is not the whole story: “…the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23)! God knew that the
hearts of human beings would turn from Him. But He never
stopped loving them, and He never departed from His original
plan for humanity. To restore humans to the heart with which
they were created—pure and whole in His likeness—God came
to earth in the person of Jesus Christ. He came not only to
teach us how to live but also to die for our sin and rebellion—
to break the hold that the corrupt sin nature had on our heart.
Long before He arrived on earth, He promised us through one
of His prophets, “I will give you a new heart and put a new
spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Two things have to happen to initiate this ongoing process of
heart transformation. Everything we discuss in the subsequent
chapters hinges on the fact that the following foundational
changes have taken place in your life:
1. You have received a new heart—a spirit made
alive in Christ. “But God, who is rich in mercy,
because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have
been saved), and raised us up together, and made
us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4–6).
2. You have received God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in
 you. “Repent, and let every one of you be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
The experience of receiving a new heart is sometimes called
being “born again.” Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
…Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and
the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, 5).
Another term for a new heart is the “new birth” (1 Peter 1:3
niv).
Jesus Christ died on the cross to restore us to our heavenly
Father. This plan was in effect from eternity. The Bible calls
Jes us “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”
(Revelation 13:8). He is the One who paid for every sin
committed by the human race—all its iniquity, rebellion, and
transgressions—so that we could be free from our corrupt
nature.
By His death, and by His resurrection through the power of
God, Jesus enabled the human race to return to its original
state of purity and wholeness of heart—the way the Father had
created it in the beginning. We enter the “new birth” when we
willingly receive Christ’s sacrifice and His righteousness,
applying them to ourselves, and accept Him as our Lord and
Savior. We acknowledge that we have lived far from God—
independent of Him and His purposes. We surrender our life to
Him, opening up our heart so that His presence can dwell
within us. Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him
and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).
The above two changes make it possible for us to experience
the supernatural transformation of our heart. Once we are a
“new creation,” we can live according to the life and counsel
of God’s Spirit, with the ability to reject the elements of the
sinful nature within us that try to win back control. We can
eliminate areas of disobedience and selfishness in our life that,
as James wrote, “ought not to be so” (James 3:10) for people
who have received a new heart from God. (See Romans 8:13;
Colossians 3:5.) Then, the “springs” from our heart will yield
only fresh water, and not a mixture of salt water and fresh. (See
James 3:9–12.)
[Jesus said,] “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his
heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would
receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus
was not yet glorified. (John 7:37–39)
The following is the testimony of a man who received a new
heart and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Marceliano was
born in Colombia and later moved to the United States. He
grew up without a father, and he was full of resentment and
anger.
“My father died at an early age, and my ten brothers and I
were raised by our mother. Before he died, my father would
frequently visit mediums who, when he got sick, did not allow
him to go to the hospital because ‘their god was going to heal
him.’ His death left such a deep void in my heart that, at the
age of twelve, I began to drink. Later, I got involved in drug
trafficking, including smuggling drugs hidden in people’s
bodies. Money became my god.
“I was accident prone. I was involved in a car accident, I
jumped from a hospital building, my ‘friends’ tried to kill me
with an overdose of liquid heroine, and I was later stabbed in
the chest during a fight. Because of what was going on, my
mother, in her ignorance, decided to take me to witches and
sorcerers. My world consisted of alcohol, friends, and illegal
dealings, but nothing filled the void within me.
“When I arrived in Miami, someone took me to a Christian
church where I met the Lord. His love filled the emptiness in my
heart. Furthermore, God gave me spiritual parents who lent me
a hand and believed in me far beyond my terrible life. I am now
free of anger, vengeance, and addictions, and I am learning to
become the head of my family and to treat my wife the way the
Lord intended. The illegal dealings that were once a source of
pride are now shameful to me. The only good thing I kept from
my past is the knowledge that God was able to forgive the
worst of sinners and transform the blackest of hearts. Today I
know that He has a purpose for my life and for my family.”
You can receive a new heart, just as Marceliano did. If you
have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, pray the
prayer at the end of this chapter. Many people claim that they
are not “sinners” in need of God’s forgiveness, saying
something like, “I am good, never hurt anyone, and do what is
right whenever possible.” Yet God requires from us a truly
righteous heart—not one that is “good” according to our own
definition—and we receive such a heart only by accepting the
redemptive work of Christ on our behalf. We must repent (turn
away from our sins), die to our old nature through Christ, and
be born again, receiving the Holy Spirit. We have no goodness
unless it comes from God.
A Heavenly “Audit”
Even now, God is carrying out a heavenly “audit” on human
hearts. “I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have
pleasure in uprightness”
(1 Chronicles 29:17). God continually searches our heart, but I
believe there are special times in which He evaluates the heart
condition of His people. Right now, as I indicated in chapter 1,
the main purpose of His “audit” is to prepare our heart for the
great and final movement of His glory upon the earth, in which
He will pour out His Spirit and bring many people into His
kingdom. Out of His love for us, He is searching and testing
our heart to see if it is faithful and righteous, because He wants
us to participate with Him in this great outpouring and
manifestation of His power.
We must realize that since our new nature still battles the
influence of the sinful nature, we cannot always trust our own
motivations or instincts. Moreover, we will experience
increased pressure from Satan’s evil spiritual forces at work
during these end times. As we have seen, “the heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can
know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). I don’t think this verse is implying
that our heart will necessarily be deceived, but that it has the
ability to deceive us. Until our heart is fully transformed, and
we are living in godly humility and self-denial, we will have
improper motivations and selfish intentions that deviate from
the purposes of God. We cannot allow ourselves to be guided
by any untransformed part of our heart!
Salvation is only the beginning of our relationship with our
heavenly Father. God wants us to draw continually closer to
Him and, as His children, reflect His nature. That is why He
calls us to have increasingly transformed hearts that will
represent His own heart.
How much of us does God have? Perhaps, He has certain parts
of our life—our belongings, our service, or our tithes and
offerings. Yet, until He has our entire heart, we will not fully
love Him or be able to reflect His true nature. The world, the
devil, and the “lusts of the flesh” (see, for example,
2 Peter 2:18), or the sinful nature, will continue to exert
influence and power over us, pulling us in the direction of our
false desires and weaknesses, and leading us into sin.
Sometimes, we give God only the things that don’t matter
much to us or don’t interest us, or the areas that don’t cost us
much to give up. But when God has our whole heart, He has
both us and all of our resources. It is then that He can trust us
to be faithful stewards of His abundant wealth, for achieving
His purposes on earth and for blessing His people. Again, all
of us have areas of our life that we need to surrender to God.
Anytime we hold back something from Him, that is a part of our
heart over which we haven’t allowed Him to be Lord. Instead,
we make ourselves the lord over that area.
The beauty of an unselfish life is to serve God and other
people without expecting anything in return.
Accountability and Rewards
 God has released and will release various judgments upon the
earth because of the wickedness of human beings. But He also
has a judgment reserved for the works done by His children.
He will judge us here on earth and in heaven. “For we must all
appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
Romans 14:12 says that “each of us shall give account of
himself to God.” This means that we will each have an
individual trial before God in which we will be held accountable
to Him for what He has given us. I don’t believe this judgment
is for the purpose of condemning us but rather for rewarding
us. The judgment seat of Christ is where believers will be
judged for everything they did on earth. Each person’s work
will be presented on that day. The purpose of this judgment
will be to prove the motives and intentions of our heart in what
we have done. Paul wrote, “Therefore judge nothing before the
time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the
hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the
hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1
Corinthians 4:5).
If we have done something with the wrong motivation or
attitude, our work will be burned by fire, as trash is burned.
When we do something with the right motivation, we are
guaranteed rewards on earth and in heaven. (See 1 Corinthians
3:11–15.) Additionally, we will be protected from the negative
consequences of acting from wrong motives. Even if no one
applauds us, recognizes what we do on earth, or pays us for
the work we have performed, we will receive our reward from
God—if the work has been done for Him. For this reason, let us
remember to evaluate our motivations regularly, knowing that
we should do all things out of love for God.
When someone feels forced to do something, his heart is not in
it.
God’s Commitment to Us
While God is always faithful and loving toward us, there is a
sense in which He commits only to the portion of our heart that
we have surrendered to Him. Some Christians have surrendered
only 20 percent or 50 percent of their life to God, so they don’t
experience Him at work in the uncommitted areas.
Consequently, they often have difficulties and troubles in
those unsurrendered aspects of their life, and they feel
frustrated and helpless in regard to them. They may start to
blame God for not answering their prayers, or they may think
He has forgotten about them.
If you are in such a situation, let me ask you: Will you
continue to blame God for unanswered prayers in the areas of
your life that you have withheld from Him? Will you persist in
saying that God has forgotten about you? Or, will you take
responsibility for not having fully surrendered your heart to
Him—or for taking back areas of it? Are you now willing to go
to God and give Him all? The time has come for you to decide.
If your faith doesn’t flow from your heart, it is merely
intellectual acknowledgment or mental assent of God and His
ways. Under such conditions, you cannot expect to receive
results from Him.
I believe that if you will prayerfully and humbly examine your
heart, you will be confronted with a spirit of independence in
relation to the areas you are withholding from God. You may
discover that, while you thought you were serving Him in a
certain way, you were really performing a ritual that only
looked like service but didn’t come from a genuine motivation
of your heart. If you lack the motivation of love, you will not
have a genuine desire to serve God and will make little effort in
that regard.
Yet, even in the midst of our selfishness and rebellion, God
continues to draw us to Himself! His Holy Spirit guides us,
motivates us, and convicts our heart, thus working in us “both
to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). But
God never pushes us or forces us to do anything. His manner
of reaching out to us contrasts with the way in which Satan
operates. His demons push us. They try to pressure us to take
certain actions, or they try to snare us, in order to lead us into
sin and destroy our life. The enemy desires more than anything
else to usurp the dwelling place of God within us—our heart.
We have as much of God as we give to Him. Where we
withhold from God, He withholds from us.
Receive a New Heart!
As we close this chapter, I want to give you the opportunity
to receive a new heart and the gift of the Holy Spirit through
faith in Jesus. As I wrote earlier, these changes are essential for
experiencing genuine and ongoing heart transformation. If this
chapter has opened your eyes to the corruption in your heart
and your inability to reverse it, if you recognize that you need
God to change your heart and are willing to surrender your life
to Him completely, pray the following prayer. Trust that God
will help you to give all the areas of your life to Him as He
transforms you, for “the one who calls you is faithful and he
will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 niv).
Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner and that my sin
separates me from You. My heart is in need of transformation,
which only You can accomplish. I believe that Jesus died on
the cross for me and that You raised Him from the dead. I
confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I repent of all my
sins and break every evil covenant I have made with the world,
with my sinful nature, and with the devil. Now, I make a new
covenant of righteousness with Jesus. I ask Jesus to come into
my heart and to change my life, filling me with the Holy Spirit. If
I were to die right now, I know I would be in Your presence
when I opened my eyes in eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen!

2. www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/28/china-baby-saved-
from-sewer-pipe_n_3344442.html.

3. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/04/01/missing-11-year-old-
starved-to-death-in-locked-bedroom-dallas-police-say/.

4. http://www.lapoliciaca.com/nota-roja/violaban-y-filmaban-a-
su-propia-hija/.
3
 The Functions of the Heart

In this chapter, we will explore the various functions of the

heart, as God intended them to be, so that we may cooperate
with the work of the Holy Spirit to transform our inner being.
1. The Heart Regulates the Flow of Life
As we have seen, everything in our life begins in the heart:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the
issues of life [“for it is the wellspring of life” niv]” (Proverbs
4:23). “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart
brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of
his heart brings forth evil” (Luke 6:45). The condition of our
heart determines the condition of our life. Just as God designed
the physical heart to pump blood to the other organs in the
body, distributing minerals and nutrients, He designed the
spiritual heart to “pump” life to our entire being—
producing mental, emotional, and physical health.
Many people complain about their circumstances, wishing
their lives were different. However, rather than grumbling about
troublesome situations—whether they involve our business,
marriage, social life, ministry, or other spiritual issues—we
must examine our heart and start the process of change
through repentance and the power of God’s grace to transform
us. No matter what circumstance is causing us frustration,
anger, or sadness, the key to transforming our life is our heart.
That is where all transformation begins.
The spiritual heart was designed to “pump” life to our entire
 being—producing mental, emotional, and physical health.
Some people try to change their lives by sheer willpower.
While the will is a participant in the process of transformation,
it is not meant to function on its own. Many times, the will
alone is unsuccessful in bringing about desired change,
particularly when it has been allowed to grow weak. Moreover,
it does not have the power to transform a person’s nature.
Suppose an individual has done something he knows is
wrong. So, he decides, as an act of his will, “I will no longer do
such and such,” yet he finds himself unable to change. He
cannot uphold the decision of his will, because the sin he
engaged in was conceived in his heart. The sin cannot be
uprooted merely by his making a mental decision to reject it.
Again, a work of true repentance and change must take place in
our inner being—where the Holy Spirit reproves us, convicts
us of sin, and prompts genuine contrition and a sincere desire
to change. Unless our repentance comes from heartfelt
conviction, there will be no lasting change in our behavior.
2. The Heart Is the Gatekeeper of Our Lives
The heart also functions as a gate, or door, that we open or
close to external influences, all of which have the potential to
affect our motivations, decisions, and actions. The devil
desires to block the flow of God’s life in us, redirecting us away
from our Creator’s original design. His goal is to destroy us or,
at least, to derail God’s purposes for us—whether those
purposes are connected to our ministry, vocation, marriage,
family life, financial prosperity, or any other aspect of our life.
Consequently, Satan attempts to manipulate our heart by
planting bad thoughts in our mind and enticing our sinful
nature to rise up in the form of pride, lust, rebellion, and so
forth. The Bible uses other terms for the sinful nature, such as
t h e “flesh” (see, for example, Romans 7:5) or the “old man”
(see, for example, Ephesians 4:22)—the “flesh” in this sense
referring not to the physical body but to our sinful desires.
Whatever term we use for the sinful nature, the devil wants our
heart to be contaminated by it.
Satan often attacks in several areas of our life at the same time,
because he wants to wear down our patience and take away
our peace, making us vulnerable to sin—sin in our heart, and
then sin in our actions. So, he introduces spirits of fear,
anxiety, worry, discouragement, depression, sickness, and so
forth, as he seeks to corrupt our heart with doubt, unbelief,
bitterness, resentment, hate, guilt, or an all-pervasive
conviction of failure and hopelessness.
This is why we must make a commitment to watch closely over
our heart and to monitor its health. Allow me to share a word of
advice from the Bible that is useful in protecting the heart: Be
careful about what, and whom, you listen to. (See, for example,
Philippians 4:8; Ephesians 4:29.) Don’t accept words of doubt
or fear; don’t receive—or join in with—other people’s
murmuring and complaining. As you guard the gate of your
heart, grant admittance only to words that build and edify your
faith, that bring you peace and joy, and that encourage truth,
holiness, and a desire to seek God in a deeper way. “Listen”
closely to God’s Word as you read and study the Scriptures.
Your heart needs to be guarded in peace.
Your lifestyle reflects the condition of your heart.
 3. The Heart Facilitates Intimate Relationships
As we discussed in chapter 1, Jesus cited the following as the
greatest commandment God has given human beings: “You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). The Lord never
requires us to do anything that He hasn’t enabled us to do. He
may already have given us the ability to do it in the inherent
makeup and gifts with which we were born; or, He may give us
the resources directly through His Holy Spirit—or both. So,
when we are commanded to love God with all our heart, we can
know that this is something He will help us to do. We were
created for intimacy with God, and we can have a deep
relationship with Him through the grace and power of His
Spirit.
Such a relationship with God arises from a love that is birthed
in the heart and that surrenders completely to the Beloved. A
similar principle applies to our relationships with other human
beings. Every genuine relationship is birthed in the heart.
Therefore, if a relationship that was established in love begins
to die, it is because that relationship is no longer based in the
heart; consequently, it grows cold and/or fades away.
God Pours Out His Love into Our Heart
When we are born again through Jesus Christ, one of the first
things that is activated in our heart is a love for God; this love
is evidence of the genuineness of our new birth. The Scriptures
say, “The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). After the
experience of the new birth, we are often immediately able to
love other people more freely, as well. We may find that certain
relationships that had been lukewarm or strained are renewed,
and we may suddenly discover a desire to share God’s love
with other people.
Any action we take for God—praying, serving others,
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, giving offerings, and so
forth—should flow from our love for Him. “Whatever you do,
do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians
3:23). This lifestyle of love was designed by the Creator. Again,
if we discern a motivation in our heart other than love—for
example, one that is merely expedient—it indicates that some
area of our heart is controlled by the corrupt sinful nature and
needs to be transformed into the likeness of God’s own nature.
A true relationship with God arises from a love that is birthed
in the heart and that surrenders completely to the Beloved.
Openness of Heart Is Essential
Openness of heart is a necessary ingredient for any close
relationship—whether with God or another person. Let’s
consider an illustration of this principle. Suppose you have a
positive working relationship with someone at your job. You
never encounter any problems with this individual. He is a hard
worker, cooperates with you, has a pleasant disposition, and
contributes substantially to your department. Because you
enjoy working with him, you think you’d like to develop a
friendship outside the workplace. However, you find that you
cannot cross a certain point in your relationship with him. His
heart is closed to anything beyond interaction at the job.
This scenario indicates that even when a person is intelligent
and has an open mind toward others, he may still have a closed
heart toward them. For many people, it can take a long time to
feel comfortable enough with another person to open their
heart to a deeper level of intimacy—whether in friendship,
romantic love, or the spiritual relationship between brothers or
sisters in the body of Christ. These people may easily open up
their mind to others while discussing plans, goals, and
procedures, and while sharing tasks and responsibilities; but,
for the most part, they will not reveal many of the thoughts and
feelings of their heart.
We will not always experience a connection of the heart with
the people with whom we work or with whom we share other
types of responsibility. Yet, when a person’s heart is closed to
us, our interactions with him can feel impersonal, sometimes
even cold. While such an association may still allow us to
function adequately in the workplace, it would be unhealthy if
it occurred in a relationship with a member of our immediate
family or a longtime friend. In these cases, the party who has
closed his heart has likely built up a defense mechanism in
order to protect himself from someone or something that he
fears or that has caused him to take offense—whether that
“threat” is real or imagined.
There is no relationship without an open heart.
Similar closed relationships can occur within the church. For
example, suppose a believer decides he will just attend church
services but then go home as soon as the service ends. He
does not want to develop spiritually meaningful relationships
with the pastor or other members of the community of faith.
Such a believer may not recognize that “[Christians], being
many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of
one another” (Romans 12:5). The effect of his decision to close
himself off from other believers is similar to the business
relationship described above. And, there are times when such
closed behavior indicates that the individual simply wants to
use other people in order to get something from them, rather
than offering them the love of Christ.
When a person has constructed emotional barriers that stifle
the normal functions of his heart as designed by God, leading
to a closed heart, this means that others—whether they are
members of his family, his church, or another group—will never
truly know him or be able to develop a close relationship with
him.
Some church denominations teach (or imply) that to show
emotion is an act of the “flesh”; others may not go that far, but
they still do not encourage the members of their congregations
to display their feelings openly. God gave us emotions and
feelings to enable us to connect with other people and to
express ourselves; therefore, they are both real and necessary.
Where churches have shut down the demonstration of
emotion, they have sometimes squelched a genuine move of
the Holy Spirit, because what the people were feeling in their
hearts, prompted by the Spirit, could not be expressed and
acted upon.
Is your own heart open or closed? Are you comfortable
sharing your heart with your spouse, other family members, or
friends? Or, are you afraid to do so because you have been
emotionally wounded by someone in the past? In coming
chapters, we will discuss some of the barriers we create from
emotional wounds and sinful attitudes that prevent us from
opening up our heart to God and others, and keep us from
being healed, thus distorting our reflection of God’s heart.
God Speaks to Our Heart
In a sense, God has two “thrones”: one in heaven and the
other on earth. His earthly throne is found in the heart of every
believer. Recall that Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will
keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23). In
the Old Testament, the presence of God rested above the ark of
the covenant, which was located in the Holy of Holies in the
tabernacle or temple. Today, we are the temple of God as we
carry His presence in our heart: “Do you not know that you
are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in
you?…For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are”
(1 Corinthians 3:16–17). “But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and
not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
God speaks to us in our heart; it is the way He guides and
lights the way for us. “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the
Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart” (Proverbs
20:27). Our heart, or spirit, is like a “satellite receptor”—it is
meant to continuously receive signals from heaven. The heart
also transmits “status reports” from the deepest part of our
inner being back to our Creator.
Only with the Heart Can We Truly Know God
The two-way communication described above is vital for
genuine relationship with God because it is the only way we
can truly know Him, and it allows us to share the depths of our
hearts with Him. Jesus emphasized this truth by pointing out
what happens when people fail to develop this type of
relationship with Him:
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the
kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in
heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have
we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your
name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I
will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness!” (Matthew 7:21–23)
The Greek term translated “knew” in above passage can
indicate “to come to know, recognize, perceive.” I believe the
word refers to intimacy, which is built over time. If love doesn’t
originate in the heart, it is not genuine. Likewise, the
relationships in a person’s life that endure are those that not
only begin in the heart but also continue to be based there.
Jesus was saying that many people who have focused only on
the works they were doing for God will be rejected by Him
because they never established a heart relationship with Him,
and they were not obedient to the will of God. You may ask,
“How, then, were they able to prophesy and do miracles in
Jesus’ name?”
I have concluded that sometimes a person who lacks a
genuine relationship with God will become associated with
someone who does have such a relationship and who also
carries an anointing to operate in the supernatural; because of
his proximity to an anointed servant of God, the person can
operate in miracles out of that atmosphere. This may explain
the case of the people Jesus was referring to. Or, perhaps they
actually exercised spiritual gifts of prophecy, healing, and
miracles. Even though spiritual gifts come from God, they are
not the basis of our standing and acceptance with Him. Works
are never a substitute for relationship. Many people never
experience the manifest presence of God in their lives because
they lack intimacy with Him. If we don’t want to receive the
above answer from Jesus, we must make sure that we have true
and intimate communion with Him based on a heart
relationship.
Anything that doesn’t originate in the heart is not genuine;
therefore, it will not last.
We Worship from the Heart
As the facilitator of our intimate relationship with God, our
heart is also the source of our worship of Him. Worship that
doesn’t come from our inner being is tainted. For example,
suppose you enter a time of worship at your church, but,
instead of focusing on God, you are absorbed by your own
thoughts, desires, and needs. Such “worship” as you are able
to offer in this state comes only from your soul—your heart is
absent. Consequently, you do not give God the honor and
devotion He deserves, you aren’t able to enter into His
presence, and you don’t experience the flow of His life in you
or see His power and kingdom manifest in your circumstances.
If this is the way you regularly “worship,” then, while you
might give financially to God, you should not expect to see a
harvest. While you might pray to Him, you should not expect
to be heard. While you might praise Him, you should not
expect to feel His genuine presence. In effect, you will be
wasting your time, because the life of God will not be present in
your offerings, your prayers, or your praise. Accordingly, your
life will not bear spiritual fruit.
What is the nature of your relationship with God? Do you
know Him? Does He know you? God is ready to initiate or
continue spiritual intimacy if you desire it with your whole
being. Once you establish such a relationship in your heart,
you will become a carrier of God’s presence and power, and
you will also do miracles, signs, and wonders in His name—
works that have His sanction and that reap an eternal harvest.
The heart of man is the place of rest, or the Holy of Holies,
of the presence of God on earth.
4. The Heart Generates Both Belief and Trust in God
The Scriptures say, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5).
Trust is another spiritual element that is birthed in the heart.
We must realize that faith and trust are not the same. Trust
represents our “walk” with God—the manner in which we love
Him, obey Him, and live for Him. The presence of trust in our
heart is an indicator that we have a true relationship with Him,
that we really know Him and have come to totally depend on
Him. When we trust God, we rest securely in His character,
integrity, and faithfulness.
Any true relationship is based on trust. A relationship with
God is established by trusting Him wholeheartedly.
On the other hand, faith involves a “zone” of time in which
God is ready to act in the “now.” The “now” is His timing, the
moment He chooses to act. Our part in faith is to receive what
we “hear” in the Word of God, or directly from the Holy Spirit,
and then operate according to it: “So then faith comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).
Many people are strong in faith but weak in trust. For example,
they may believe that God will do a miracle, but if the miracle
doesn’t manifest quickly, they tend to give up and thereby
forfeit it. They lack the trust that would have enabled them to
persevere to see it manifest. This deficit of trust undermines
their relationship with their heavenly Father.
Trust Is Currency
If an individual is not prepared to inspire trust within a
relationship, or to trust the other party, that relationship will
suffer—and sometimes die. For example, a man may love his
wife, but if he is unfaithful to her, he has betrayed her trust. He
may not think his love for his wife has changed, but their
relationship of mutual commitment has been broken. If his wife
learns of his infidelity, she might continue to love him and may
even forgive him. But the question is: Will she be able to trust
him once more?
A heart that has been hurt by betrayal finds it very difficult to
trust again. That heart may love the other person long-distance
but still find it impossible to rebuild the relationship. Trust is
“currency” between people. The only hope for a marriage
relationship broken by adultery is for the offending spouse to
win back trust through true repentance of heart and by
faithfulness demonstrated over a long period of time.
Likewise, trust is an essential part of our relationship with God
and is built over time. We can count on God to be totally
trustworthy toward us. Let us show Him that we can be trusted
to be faithful and devoted to Him.
You are personally rich if you can trust those with whom you
are
in relationship and if they can trust you.
Trust Brings Perseverance
As indicated above, our trust in God not only establishes our
relationship with Him but also maintains it over time. This is
particularly true as we wait for the fulfillment of His promises.
Consider the following questions: Is the foundation of your
relationship with God one that will stay strong during the
course of your life? Do you maintain your relationship with
God on an everyday basis, whether you experience good times
or trying ones? If you were to experience a distressing problem
or enter into a difficult period that lasted a long time, would
you continue to trust in Him, or would you turn to alternative
sources for help? After all the ups and downs of life, will you
be found still in relationship with God in the end?
Sometimes, receiving an answer to our prayers is not so much
a matter of faith but rather of trusting God when the fulfillment
of His promise seems to be delayed. We must realize that we
won’t immediately receive everything we ask for. The
Scriptures tell us, “The testing of [our] faith produces patience
[“perseverance” niv]” (James 1:3). This statement indicates
that while we are exercising our faith, a period of time may pass.
That doesn’t mean that we are supposed to stay sick or
defeated until Christ returns. Rather, it tells us that we must
persevere in order to obtain our promises and miracles from
God.
 What should we do when the promise doesn’t manifest
immediately? We should ask the Holy Spirit to give us
discernment regarding which type of faith to exercise in a given
situation and moment—either “now” faith that receives the
manifestation immediately, or faith that perseveres until God is
ready to release the miracle for us to receive. We should also
wait faithfully and confidently for the manifestation of the
promise. As the book of Isaiah says, “In quietness and
confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15). The character
of our heart is established by unwavering faith, not in the
emotion of a moment. If our heart trusts in God, we will remain
steadfast until the manifestation of that which our faith expects
to receive—and has already received in the spiritual realm.
(See Mark 11:24.)
We must understand that the fulfillment exists “now” in the
supernatural sphere until its due time comes. We cannot
question God as to why He has not yet answered, because
then we would be casting aspersions on His character and
integrity, and that would be an insult to the Almighty. At these
times, we are to trust in who God is—His character—as well as
in how much He values us and desires to give us His life.
How can a weak human being, created out of the dust of the
earth, have this kind of trust? I have seen believers quickly
start to seek alternative sources of help when the promise
doesn’t arrive immediately. After giving a problem to God, they
take it back and try to “fix” it through human means.
Meanwhile, the answer could have been ready to manifest in
their lives, but, sadly, they missed it by seeking natural
solutions!
God wants us to learn to depend on Him. We don’t know what
may be coming in our life, but we can trust in God
wholeheartedly, because His purposes and ways are infinitely
greater than our own knowledge and understanding.
For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love
which you have shown toward His name, in that you have
ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that
each one of you show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become
sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience
inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:10–12)
We enter into greater dimensions of faith through trust.
Trust Releases Faith
In a sense, the manifestation of what you have been waiting
for—such as financial provision, marital restoration, healing, or
deliverance—has always been with you, because faith is
“now” in the eternal realm. However, as we have been
discussing, sometimes the “now” has been waiting for you to
trust in God. Anyone can believe in the “now” when he sees
his answer manifested; but the test of trust is the condition of
your heart as you wait for the fulfillment of the promise. Often,
before we see the answer to a request, the enemy will try to
convince us that it will never come. At those times, we must
hold on to our faith and continue to believe in the Lord with all
our heart, regardless of what our eyes see—or don’t yet see.
Are you beginning to understand how important the role of
the heart is in the realm of the supernatural? The heart is crucial
to seeing the hand of God move in your life—to seeing the
fulfillment of His promises and the manifestation of His
miracles.
The life of the patriarch Abraham, who was a giant of faith, is a
strong example of trust and its results. Abraham had to wait
almost twenty-five years before God’s promise of a son
manifested in the “now.” “And not being weak in faith,
[Abraham] did not consider his own body, already dead
(since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness
of Sarah’s womb” (Romans 4:19). We could call Abraham not
only the “father of faith” (see Romans 4:11–12, 16) but also the
“father of trust,” because he had to wait with patience and
confidence, resting in the knowledge that God’s promise would
manifest one day. Trust allowed him to wait without losing
heart—even though he sometimes had questions. (See, for
example, Genesis 15:1–6.) Trust enabled him to persevere and
to believe in God and His word “against all hope” (Romans
4:18 niv), regardless of his circumstances.
Are you facing a situation similar to what Abraham faced?
Have you been praying and believing for the fulfilment of
God’s promise for a long time, but your “now” has not yet
come? Regardless of the problem—a bad medical diagnosis,
the lack of a job, a difficult relationship—continue to trust God
wholeheartedly, even if the world gives you contrary advice. If
we know God and have an ongoing relationship with Him
through love, prayer, and obedience to His Word, and if we
remember that He will never leave us nor forsake us (see
Hebrews 13:5), then we can be confident that He will answer
us.
The following Scripture sums up what it means to trust in the
Lord with all your heart when you are discouraged, confused,
or unable to see the hand of God in your circumstances:
“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a
good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus
C h r i s t ” (Philippians 1:6). Never imagine that your
circumstances are so overpowering that you should stop
trusting in God and give up. “[Abraham] did not waver at the
promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in
faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that
what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans
4:20–21).
Moreover, faith that is solidly supported by trust cannot stay
silent. It has to praise God and worship Him. Abraham “was
strengthened in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20).
Therefore, in the midst of your circumstances, release praise
and worship into the atmosphere of your home or office. Sing
to God and play worship music. Express your faith and trust as
you submit to the faithful God who never changes. (See, for
example, Hebrews 13:8.) Your “now” is coming!
When trust is strong, faith comes into the “now.”
In the Old Testament, the prophets often had to wait long
periods of time to see God’s promises fulfilled. In fact, many
died without seeing the promises manifested. But after Christ
came to earth and died on the cross, God raised Him from the
dead; and when Jesus was resurrected, He brought
supernatural faith with Him, and the realm of the eternal “now”
extended to the realm of earth.
I pray that the following testimony from a woman named
Martha, a teacher from Colombia, will strengthen your trust so
that your faith can be released in the “now”:
“I used to suffer from gallbladder stones, a condition that
caused me great pain. Everything I ate tasted bitter. During a
service, the pastor said that if anyone was sick, we should
place our hand where we felt the pain, and we would receive
healing. I placed my hand where the gallbladder is located and
believed God. I believed that He had healed me and that, even
though the pain continued, He was doing His perfect work in
me. I later went to the doctor for follow-up exams. After he
examined me, he said that I no longer had gallbladder stones!
“In addition, my appendix had been removed when I was
fifteen years old. However, when I went to the doctor for the
gallbladder problem, I had a scan of my organs, and the doctor
said, ‘The appendix appears normal in size. There is no
inflammation.’ Amazed, I exclaimed, ‘Oh, Lord, how great and
impressive You are!’ I received a creative miracle, because I
know that my appendix was removed and the operation is
recorded in my medical history!
“But then I was diagnosed with a cyst in my lung that
sometimes made breathing difficult. During the following nine
months, the cyst grew until the doctor said it was cancerous. I
immediately canceled the diagnosis. I didn’t accept it, and I
also received my healing! The cyst shrank in size until it
disappeared.”
I prophesy that those who have been trusting God to bring
about change—for example, change in their marriage, their
children, or their business; change in the form of deliverance,
miracles, or healing—will see the manifestation in the “now”!
Amen!
5. The Heart Commits to God and Other People
Much of God’s activity on earth requires the commitment of
the heart of human beings. Without our commitment, God will
not commit to act. As we discussed earlier, it is possible for us
to engage in certain works that seem like ministry but for our
heart to not actually be involved in them. For example, we can
serve other people, “worship” God, give offerings to the Lord,
administrate, preach, or teach without a committed heart, so
that we are performing a mere ritual that lacks eternal
significance. If your heart is not committed to God, He may see
you as untrustworthy. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to
transform you, giving you the grace to genuinely commit your
heart to God. And, when you commit to Him without
reservation, He will pour into your heart a love for other people
and a burden for their welfare that causes you to pray for them
and minister to their needs.
If you do not submit, God will not commit.
A Call to Wholehearted Commitment
The following testimony may give you a clearer picture of
what I have tried to communicate throughout this chapter. It is
the story of Tito, a native of Colombia, who is a public
accountant and export business owner:
“I came to surrender to Christ in a painful way. I was a skeptic
regarding the things pertaining to God. I didn’t like to tithe or
to give offerings because I believed they were a form of
robbing me, and I didn’t want to give my money to anyone. My
mind-set was contrary to God’s. One day, while celebrating
Mother’s Day with my wife, I suffered a heart attack. An
ambulance was immediately called, but they came too late—I
died seconds before they arrived. However, I was resurrected
by mechanical means and through the administration of drugs.
“Once I was in the hospital, the doctors decided to operate to
replace an artery in my heart. I was concerned about my health,
but even more about the debt I would incur due to the cost of
the hospital stay. I had no way of paying for it! Yet,
miraculously, I didn’t have to pay for any of it. God paid it for
me. I am debt free, to the glory of my Lord! God allowed this
problem to take place so I would know of His existence, love,
and power, and so I would change my mind toward the things
of God and finally be transformed.
“After this event, I accepted Jesus into my heart. While it used
to be hard for me to tithe and give offerings, this incident led
me to recognize my need for God. I never would have been able
to pay the debt, not even with all of my tithes and offerings!
Today, I am a different man. I am committed to my heavenly
Father, and I trust Him with all of my heart. I can say that I was
born again—twice! I was born again into the kingdom and
‘born again’ after the mortal heart attack!”
Isn’t it time for you, also, to commit to God with all your heart?
Let’s look at the following four points, which you will
recognize as themes that we will return to throughout this
book. Think about them carefully now and also as you read
each successive chapter of Supernatural Transformation:
1. Evaluate Your Heart
In chapter 1, we asked the question, “What does God see in
your heart?” God sees beyond the superficial elements of our
life to the depths of our being. He sees our motives, intentions,
and intimate thoughts, whether good or evil. And He desires to
give us a heart that is healed and whole, with all the
characteristics of His own nature—such as love, joy,
righteousness, and wisdom.
For this to happen, we must understand the condition of our
own heart in relation to God’s heart. God will give us revelation
of the state of our inner being as we read and study His Word
and as we are sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit.
Many people don’t take time to think about the state of their
heart. Yet we must ask ourselves—and answer honestly—each
aspect of this question: “Is my heart in the right place in
relation to God, my family, my church, my occupation, my
entertainment and recreation, and my other activities and
involvements?” As we have seen, “Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
What is your top priority in life? Is it God and His kingdom? Or
is it wealth? Success? Fame? A good physical appearance? A
desire for revenge? Think about how you are spending the
majority of your disposable income and the largest portion of
your time, after your primary responsibilities of meeting the
needs of your family and working to support yourself and your
family members. Again, you can easily look at your checkbook
entries and credit card statements over the past year to
determine how, and on what, you are spending your money.
You can also review your activities over the past several
months to assess your priorities in life and the nature of your
involvements in light of the character of God and the purposes
of His kingdom.
2. Be True to Your Heart
What does it mean to “be true to your heart”? First, it means
to be honest with yourself about what you discover to be true
about the state of your heart. When you do this, it will help
you to be honest before God and other people.
Have you been truthful with yourself about the things you
genuinely believe in and about your real priorities? Or have
you been lying to yourself about them? Perhaps you have not
allowed God’s Word to make the impact on your life that you
would like others to believe it has. If you are aligned with
God’s priorities and are modeling your lifestyle after His Word,
you will experience His peace and joy. If not, your conscience
will bother you. You will feel convicted and unsettled. Ask
yourself questions such as: “What do I truly believe regarding
God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God’s kingdom?” “In the
deepest part of my heart, do I love God and remain faithful to
Him?” “Am I living according to what I say I believe?” “In
what ways am I living contrary to what I claim to believe?”
“Why am I not living according to my faith?” “What can I do
to realign my priorities and motivations with God’s will and
purposes?”
3. Speak from Your Heart
Third, we must speak from our heart—not just from our head.
Let us look at two points in this connection. To speak from our
heart is to speak honestly, without guile or deception. For
example, we must not speak lies or flattery to other people in
order to get something from them. This does not mean we
should be tactless in what we say to others or that we should
blurt out whatever comes to our mind. Rather, it means that our
words should have integrity; we should not speak something
that our heart does not believe.
Next, we have noted that “out of the abundance of the heart
the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). There is a connection
between the heart and the mouth. Therefore, if what you are
saying is not in accord with God’s Word—if you complain,
gossip, curse, or speak something else that conflicts with His
character—you know that there is a problem in your heart. For
example, in the next chapter, we will discover how
hardheartedness can block the faith that is in our heart from
manifesting in our words and actions.
Yet when we surrender to God and live according to the power
of His Spirit, our heart will be transformed, and our words will
inevitably be transformed, as well. As we will discuss more
fully in a later chapter, one of the best ways to change our
heart is to memorize and meditate on God’s Word until it is
planted deep in our inner being.
4. Act from Your Heart
The fourth point is that we cannot just “believe” in God’s
Word and His principles, or even just express them—we must
act on them as they become established in our heart. This will
give us integrity in what we believe, what we say, and what we
do. And whatever we believe, say, and do should glorify God
and bless other people.
If the various actions you are taking—whether in regard to
your family, your ministry, your job, or another aspect of life—
aren’t based on genuine heart motivations, you will lack the
commitment to be faithful in persevering to complete them.
Your actions won’t be consistent, and you won’t follow
through. Consequently, your efforts will have little impact for
good in your life, in the lives of others, in the life of your
community, or for the advancement of God’s kingdom in the
world. Yet, if your actions are based on genuine heart
motivations, you will, in the words of Paul, execute “work
produced by faith,…labor prompted by love, and…endurance
inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians
1:3 niv).
As you review and respond to these four points, commit to
seek a closer relationship with God. Commit to His vision.
Commit to the divine purpose for your life. Commit to your
family. Commit to love your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Commit to minister to others in the name of Jesus—to pray, to
serve, and to evangelize. Commit to carry out the purpose of
God for your life, from the depth of your heart. Do it now!
4
 Heart of “Stone” or Heart of “Flesh”?

When someone is described as hardhearted, we usually

imagine an individual who is particularly cruel—someone who
treats other people harshly or who would coolly take another
person’s life just to get what he wanted. We don’t think of the
word as applying to us. Certainly, the term does fit those who
act cruelly toward others. Yet the concept of a hard heart has
deeper spiritual implications that are universally applicable to
human beings—including believers. All of us have a heart that
is “hardened” in some areas and to certain degrees, and this
heart condition hinders our life. Moreover, we should be aware
that any person’s heart has the potential to grow increasingly
hard, so that it eventually affects his entire being. We are all
susceptible to such a hardening process if we do not regularly
monitor our heart.
Consider the meaning of the Greek word translated “hardness
of heart” in Mark 16:14, which reads, “Later [Jesus] appeared
to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe
those who had seen Him after He had risen.” This Greek term
especially indicates “destitution of spiritual perception.” We
would not necessarily think of Jesus’ disciples as having
“hardness of heart,” except, perhaps, for Judas Iscariot. The
other disciples obviously made mistakes, lacked faith, and
failed to understand Jesus’ teachings at times. But hardness of
heart?
Yet note again the implication of the Greek term for
“hardheartedness”: “destitution of spiritual perception.” To be
“destitute” is a serious condition. The word indicates a lack of
spiritual discernment or sensitivity, a deficiency of
understanding in relation to spiritual truth. This deficiency
blocks our knowledge of the true nature of God and Jesus,
limits our intimacy with God, prevents His purposes from being
fulfilled in our life, and causes us to neglect or disobey His
commands.
The fulfillment of the greatest commandment of all—to love
God with our whole being, and to love other people as
ourselves (see, for example, Mark 12:29–31)—is hindered by
hardness of heart, because a lack of spiritual perception will
distance our heart from God and other people. Ask yourself:
“Is my heart soft and yielded to God?” “Where might my
spiritual perception be blocked due to a hardness of heart?”
Love Grown Cold
I believe we are living in a season in which God is bringing
“acceleration” to every area of our life, as well as a movement
of miracles, signs, and wonders never before seen. By
acceleration, I refer to a more rapid transition to greater levels
of faith and a faster heart transformation that enables us to
function in higher dimensions of the supernatural realm. I
believe that the two movements of the glory of God—the
former glory (represented by the miracles of the Old Testament)
and the latter glory (represented by the miracles Jesus
predicted would occur in the church)—are coming together in a
dual manifestation. However, I also believe that we are living in
the times Christ spoke about when He prophesied that
wickedness would increase: “And because lawlessness will
abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).
The concept of love “growing cold” refers to a hardened heart
—and this is a sign of the end times. As we noted earlier, when
God created human beings, He gave them a heart after His own
heart; but when they disobeyed God, their heart was corrupted,
and humans became filled with sins—including pride,
immorality, a lust for power, and so forth—the same sins we
see reflected in our society today. To a certain degree, this
end-time coldness is the reason why some people are no longer
sensitive to genuine love—in their heart, they lack empathy for
other people’s physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. They are
not attuned to God, His Word, or His will.
Recovering the Heart
Yet the new birth in Christ enables us to recover—through
supernatural transformation—the heart that the first human
beings lost. Spiritually, God views us through the
righteousness of the resurrected Jesus. However, as we have
seen, the transformation of our inner being is also a
progressive, daily process that includes all areas of our life.
Since we live in the midst of a fallen world, where sin operates
and corruption destroys, we must watch over our heart to keep
it from slowly growing cold and becoming hard from exposure
to the false perspectives and negative attitudes of people
around us, or as we react to the troubles and crises occurring
on earth—from economic declines to natural disasters. We
must allow God to soften the areas of our inner being that are
still hard due to the effects of our sinful nature and the wrong
attitudes we’ve accepted and allowed to become entrenched in
our heart over the years.
God Will Circumcise Our Heart
Our heavenly Father has given us these great and life-
changing promises:
And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the
heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
(Deuteronomy 30:6)
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I
will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26)
Spiritual “circumcision,” whose meaning we will explore in this
chapter, takes away the barriers between God and us (and
between us and other people) so that we may love the Lord
with our whole being. God will give us a “heart of flesh” in
exchange for a “heart of stone,” and then we will “live”—in a
true and full sense.
The Condition of a Hardened Heart
Above, we looked at the instance following Jesus’
resurrection when He rebuked His disciples for their
hardheartedness in disbelieving those who had seen Him alive
after His death on the cross and subsequent burial. There is
also a previous reference in the Scriptures to the disciples’
hardness of heart. In Mark 6:52, we read, “For they had not
understood about the loaves, because their heart was
hardened.”
Here is the background to that statement: Christ had just
performed the great miracle of multiplying five small loaves of
bread and two fish, so that there was more than enough food
to feed the five-thousand-plus people who had gathered from
surrounding cities, listening eagerly for a number of hours to
Jesus’ teachings and receiving healing. (See also Matthew
14:14.) Yet, even after the disciples had seen these
demonstrations of supernatural provision by Jesus, they
continued to be spiritually blind regarding who He was and
how He would provide for them—as demonstrated by what
occurred next.
Jesus had sent His disciples ahead of Him by boat to the other
side of the Sea of Galilee, while He stayed behind so He could
pray in solitude. During the night, the disciples encountered a
strong wind, and they struggled as they rowed against it.
Then, Jesus came to them, walking on the water. When He
entered the boat with them, the wind stopped. “[The disciples]
were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and
marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves,
because their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:51–52). In this
verse, the Greek word for “hardened” is apparently derived
from the name of a kind of stone. The term literally means “to
petrify”; figuratively, it means “to render stupid or callous,” “to
blind,” or “to harden.”
Corruptive “Leaven”
Not long after the incident on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus again
miraculously multiplied food and fed four thousand people.
(See Mark 8:1–9.) Seemingly, the disciples still had not gained
spiritual perception about Jesus’ deity based on His massive
provision for the multitudes. And Jesus soon “charged [the
disciples], saying, ‘Take heed, beware of the leaven of the
Pharisees…’” (Mark 8:15). What was this “leaven of the
Pharisees”?
In the physical world, leaven is “a substance (as yeast) used
to produce fermentation in dough or a liquid.” When yeast is
mixed with dough, it permeates the batter. Jesus’ statement
would likely have reminded His listeners of the annual Jewish
Feast of Unleavened Bread, which God had ordained the
Israelites to celebrate, as a reminder that they should remove
sin (represented by the leaven) from their lives. (See, for
example, Exodus 12:17–20.)
What form of sin was Jesus referring to in regard to the
Pharisees? The book of Matthew records, “Then [the disciples]
understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven
of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees”
(Matthew 16:12). On another occasion, Jesus told His disciples,
“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy”
(Luke 12:1). In effect, the “leaven” Jesus was referring to was
the hypocrisy of the religion practiced by the Pharisees, which
corrupts the integrity of the heart. For further insight into this
corruptive “leaven,” let us read what the apostle Paul wrote to
the Corinthian believers:
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new
lump [“unleavened batch” niv2011], since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed
for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the
unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7–8)
So, in various places in the Bible, leaven symbolizes false
teachings, hypocrisy, malice, and wickedness—erroneous
ideas and sinful attitudes and actions that have the potential to
spread to large numbers of people, just as yeast spreads
throughout a batch of dough.
Twice, the disciples had witnessed the multiplication of bread
and fish by Jesus, and they had personally distributed the
“miracle” food to thousands of people. However, I believe their
hearts had been so hardened by “religious” and cultural
perspectives and attitudes that they lacked spiritual perception
of the supernatural events unfolding right in front of them. The
religious leaven prevented their eyes from being open to
spiritual truths about God the Father and God the Son. It is my
view that a great portion of the church is in the same condition
today. Any believer who doesn’t continually seek the
transformation of his heart, and who isn’t ready to receive the
new things God is doing during these last days, is at risk of
falling into the same state.
The hardened heart does not see, hear, or perceive the
spiritual realm or spiritual matters.
“Stiffnecked” People
In the Old Testament, the Israelites often manifested hardened
hearts, and they were referred to at various times as a
“stiffnecked people.” For example, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘I
have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiffnecked people!’”
(Exodus 32:9). Perhaps God wrote the Ten Commandments on
stone tablets because His people had hardened their hearts to
the point that they weren’t able to perceive His presence or
discern His will. Furthermore, due to bad “leaven” in their lives,
they failed to recognize who God really was and what He
desired for them, and they turned their hearts away from
obeying Him.
God has always desired to write His commandments on the
hearts of His people, because it is the only way they can truly
love and obey Him. Sadly, at about the same time God was
writing the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets with His
own finger in the presence of Moses on Mount Sinai (see
Exodus 31:18), the people of Israel were rejecting God and
worshipping a golden calf that they had asked Aaron, God’s
high priest, to create. (See Exodus 32.) In essence, they were
refusing what God Himself had written, or ordained, for them.
Even today, many people reject the true Word of God for a
religion of their own making.
In the New Testament, when Stephen gave his address in the
power of the Holy Spirit to the Jewish leaders of the Sanhedrin,
he said, “You stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and
ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so
do you” (Acts 7:51). And God can say the same regarding
many of the people in the church today. They have hardened
their heart toward Him, demonstrating an independent spirit,
rebelliousness, and disobedience to His precepts.
Consequently, they have “grieved” the Holy Spirit. (See
Ephesians 4:30.)
In the Western church, many people do not seek a
manifestation of God’s supernatural revelation or His
supernatural works. Some people are indifferent toward the
idea of experiencing the power of God’s Spirit, while others
reject the legitimacy of the idea outright. Many believers
simply want to hear God’s Word preached and to practice
certain customs and traditions associated with going to
church, so that they may remain comfortable and entertained.
They don’t really want the manifest presence of God in their
midst, and they don’t want to make the necessary personal
sacrifice of dying to their sinful nature in order to grow closer
to God.
Religion is ultimately birthed from hardness of heart,
and it produces even more hardheartedness in people.
In many ways, this generation’s faith is exercised by the mind
alone. It is not exercised by the heart, which has become
hardened and therefore does not produce life. A hardened
heart is the reason why some people can hurt others without
even realizing it; or, if they do realize it, they fail to care. How
many people are hurting their loved ones, friends, and
associates because their own heart has been hardened? We
see parents and children, husbands and wives, pastors and
church members, employers and employees, and so on, all
hurting one another.
What Causes the Heart to Harden?
Hardness of heart is symptomatic of the corrupt sinful nature
that human beings inherited due to the fall of humanity. Again,
such hardness separates us from God and causes us to become
fixed in mind-sets and attitudes that are contrary to the grace,
life, and power of the Holy Spirit. The following are some ways
in which hardness of heart manifests in people’s lives.
1. Repeatedly Committing Sin
The writer of the book of Hebrews said, “But exhort one
another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). As
I’ve studied the Scriptures, I’ve compiled and developed
various definitions of sin, such as “to miss the mark,” “to
disobey God,” “to offend the Lord,” and “to violate God’s
law.” Each time we sin, something of God in us weakens or
dies. And when we commit a particular sin repeatedly, without
repentance, we open the door of our heart to the enemy,
allowing the devil to introduce some leaven of corruption,
which causes our heart to become hardened.
Many people don’t recognize when this process is occurring
within them. Therefore, when they seek solutions to their
problems, they deal with only the symptoms. Suppose a person
is experiencing depression because he feels guilty for
repeatedly committing a sin. Modern medicine’s solution to
this problem would generally be to prescribe an antidepressant
drug. Meanwhile, in an effort to feel better, the individual might
try to raise his self-esteem through mental exercises like
repeating positive affirmations to himself. But if the person
really wants a solution to his depression, he must deal with the
root of the issue, which is found in his heart.
Sin will grieve our heart, and the resulting guilt we feel due to
our wrong attitudes and actions can generate a state of
“paralysis” that depresses our emotions. If an individual
struggling under these conditions would ask God for
forgiveness through Christ and forgive himself, and as well as
forgive others who have hurt or offended him, his heart would
heal, and, consequently, his depression would disappear.
Let’s look at another example. Suppose a child constantly
rebels against his parents because he does not receive the love
and attention from them that he needs. Perhaps they are too
absorbed with each other, with their careers, or with other
activities. Under these circumstances, the child’s rebellious
behavior is not a reflection of “bad character” or a desire for
independence. Its source, or root, is the pain and loss he is
experiencing in his heart. The parents’ reaction to his rebellion
might be to punish him, to bribe him with food or gifts, and/or
to send him to a psychologist for counseling. Yet to resolve
this issue, the parents would need to recognize their neglect,
repent of it, seek God’s forgiveness, and begin to provide their
child with a more supportive and loving home based on God’s
love. If this change does not occur, the child may become
angrier and even grow bitter, hardening his heart against his
parents and others—including God.
Although we are all accountable for our own sin, one
contributing factor to recurring sin in people’s lives is the false
perspective of much of the modern church that no longer
identifies sin as sin. Instead, if someone sins, he is said to have
“issues,” “a sickness,” “a condition,” or something similar. Our
generation is preaching a self-help gospel from which the
message of the cross and the resurrection has been removed.
And yet, that message alone addresses the reality of sin, its
root, and its solution. Again, if we are truly going to deal with
matters of the heart, we must recognize the root of issues and
not just the branches, or the symptoms. To preach without the
intent of seeing people rescued from iniquity and experiencing
transformation is, in essence, a deceit. It is not the gospel of
Jesus Christ. We must call sin “sin.”

2. Holding On to an Offense
Another cause of a hardened heart is a refusal to let go of an
offense. Offenses affect millions of people who have felt
affronted by a spouse or child, a teacher or classmate, a boss
or coworker, a pastor or fellow church member, or someone in
another realm of life. We will explore the topic of dealing with
an offended heart in greater detail in the next chapter of this
book.
Taking offense at other people—as well as offending them—is
rather unavoidable in life. Jesus said, “Woe to the world
because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that
man by whom the offense comes!” (Matthew 18:7). I haven’t
met anyone who has never been offended by another person
or who has never offended someone else. As believers, we are
called to undergo a process of spiritual and emotional
development, of growing to become more like Christ. Along the
way, during the maturation process, we will inevitably offend
others by our mistaken attitudes, our careless words, and our
hasty actions. Not only have we all been offended by others,
but we are all continually being presented with opportunities to
take offense, and we will all be offended for one reason or
another in the future. The important thing is that we not hold
on to an offense, because to do so is to encourage spiritual
hardness—something we do not want to risk.
Often, after we have been offended by someone, we repeat the
memory of the offense over and over in our mind. Yet an
offense doesn’t really reside in the mind but in the heart. The
effect of holding on to an offense is as devastating as being
bitten by a poisonous snake and having its venom spread
throughout our body. If we refuse to let go of an offense, if we
never deal with it, an area of our heart will become hardened—
often in a subtle way, little by little. Then, when we least expect
it, our spiritual senses will be numb; we will have lost
sensitivity in the emotional and spiritual realms of our life.
What’s more, we may be in danger of spiritual death, for, if we
want God to forgive us, we must forgive others. Jesus said,
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14).
Rather than become spiritually hardened, let us recognize that
offenses can actually be useful to us, because they reveal the
true condition of our heart. When we are offended, we see
what is really inside us—whether anger and bitterness and
contention or grace and forgiveness and peace. We have to
learn to deal with offenses, not only when we experience them
but also when we cause them. When we are offended by
another person, we should try to understand his motivations
while forgiving his faults. And, we should seek reconciliation
with other people whom we are aware we have offended. If we
have affronted another person, we must learn to acknowledge
our error, repent, ask for the person’s forgiveness, and seek to
restore the relationship. This last part is necessary even if we
were not in the wrong. As Paul wrote, “Do not repay anyone
evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
peace with everyone” (Romans 12:17–18 niv).
A hardened heart will eventually result in spiritual death.

3. Harboring Emotional Wounds

Our emotional wounds are usually inflicted by the people
whom we love the most—often, those who are closest to us
and to whom we have opened up our heart. People may
experience the deepest emotional injuries during childhood.
Some young people are continually hurt or abused by a close
relative—for example, a father, mother, uncle, or cousin—and
many people are marked by such wounds for the rest of their
life. Similarly, even when we are older, we may be wounded
deeply by a parent, spouse, child, sibling, close friend, or
authority figure, such as a pastor or boss.
Consider your own emotional wounds. Perhaps they were
generated by people who failed to show you love or who
neglected, rejected, abandoned, underestimated, or betrayed
you; who showed you contempt or disdain; who abused you
(verbally, physically, or sexually); who exploited you (for
example, sexually or in the workplace); who deceived or
defamed you through fraud, lies, false accusation, or slander;
or who persecuted you for your faith. Whatever the origin of
the wound, if you have not already been healed, you need to
be healed today, because the related area of your heart has
been damaged and hardened.
Hardening is an inevitable consequence when our hurt is
allowed to remain. For example, we may harden our heart as a
method of emotional survival when we are unable to forgive
the one who has hurt us, making healing impossible. Yet, in
God, we can find the grace to forgive others and to receive
healing for our emotional wounds.
Solange is a businesswoman whose heart was hardened when
she was a young girl after she suffered sexual abuse and
experienced the resulting mental and emotional pain. She was
blinded by the works of the enemy and the limitations of
religion, so that she could not experience the freedom and love
of God. The following is her story.
“I grew up in the United States in the Catholic faith, but I
looked for Christ because I was tired of being in a vicious cycle
of drug addiction and suicidal thoughts. I had been sexually
molested by two uncles when I was very young, and I was
raped at age fifteen. Even though I didn’t tell anyone what
happened to me, I still felt great shame. I hated my body and
couldn’t even stand to be in my own skin. That is when I
started to contemplate suicide. I tried taking pills and drugs,
drinking alcohol, and even starving myself. Even though I
wanted to die, I was also afraid of death. But, at some point, the
feeling of filthiness within me became stronger than my fear.
“I was a bitter, negative person. My heart was full of
unforgiveness and hate, and I lived in judgment of everyone. I
felt captive in a spiritual prison and desperately needed a way
out. I had always known of the existence of a ‘Jesus Christ.’ I
wanted to talk to Him and surrender my burden, but I didn’t
know how to do it. I lacked direction, and I felt lost, but I didn’t
know how to live any other way. I didn’t know if I was coming
or going. I was an emotional and mental disaster.
“When I eventually accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, my
life began to change in ways that I had only imagined in my
dreams. I went through inner healing and deliverance, and I felt
whole once again. I began to accept who I was and to love
myself the same way God loves me. Now I am free of shame,
resentment, and hate. I thank the Lord for freeing me from so
much pain!”
You don’t have to spend the rest of your life in pain. If you
have been hurt, now is your opportunity to begin the process
of becoming whole again. Allow the Spirit of God, like holy oil,
to enter your heart and heal you. I encourage you to read
chapter 5, “Healing for an Offended Heart,” today.

4. Disobeying the Voice of God

Our heavenly Father created human beings to be in
relationship with Him. His plan was always to have clear and
permanent communications with us. Even after the fall, God has
continued to speak to humans through various means—
sometimes directly, and at other times through His angels, His
prophets, His written Word, or other avenues. His ultimate
expression of Himself is the person of Jesus Christ: “The Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth” (John 1:14). “God, who at various times and in
various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” (Hebrews
1:1–2).
The most common question I have heard people ask is, “How
can I hear the voice of God?” Many people recognize their
inability to hear His voice, whereas it should be something
natural for every believer, since the Scriptures say, “The sheep
follow him [Jesus, the Good Shepherd], for they know his
voice” (John 10:4; see also verses 11, 14). However, if our heart
is hardened, it will not hear God, nor will it see or otherwise
perceive Him. Often, as God was preparing to release His
judgment on sinful people, He would appoint a righteous
person to announce His punishment, in order to give the
people an opportunity to hear God’s message, repent, and be
saved. Quoting from Psalm 95, the writer of Hebrews urged his
readers, “Today, if you will hear [God’s] voice, do not harden
your hearts as in the rebellion” (Hebrews 3:15).
One of the most frightening results of a hardened heart is that
when an individual no longer hears truth and direction from
God, he begins to conform to an artificial reality. What happens
next is a situation we observe in some Christians who live
according to fantasy, mysticism, or religiosity. They are
spiritually dry and stagnant in their relationship with God
because they stopped hearing His voice and began hearing
other “voices”—societal, philosophical, religious, demonic,
and so forth. Let us all earnestly seek God so that we may hear
His voice and “not harden [our] hearts as in the rebellion.” In
chapters 8 and 9, we will discuss what it means to have an
obedient heart that is surrendered to God.
5. Unbelief
“Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).
“An evil heart of unbelief” is evidenced when a person
decides, of his own free will, not to believe in God and
therefore not to obey Him. This decision is an open act of
rebellion and defiance. In chapter 6, we will discover how to be
free from an unbelieving heart. As an introduction to this topic,
let’s look at the testimony of a young woman named Dámari.
The spirit of unbelief took hold in her through the negative
influences and bad circumstances of her childhood.
“I grew up in a shattered home. My father was addicted to
alcohol, drugs, and pornography; and, for as long as I can
remember, he physically and verbally abused my mother. From
the age of six, I would ask God to give me a sister, because my
brothers never paid any attention to me. My father was
obsessed with my mother, and neither of them would pay any
attention to me or spend time with me. My faith diminished as
my prayers went unanswered. In the midst of this great family
chaos, I decided to believe that God did not exist, and I became
an atheist.
“The situation at home grew worse each day. One morning, I
was awakened by the sound of my mother punching
defensively against a table as my father tried to strangle her.
That same day, he came after my brothers and me with a knife;
we ran throughout the house because he wanted to kill all of
us! After this episode, he was allowed to visit with us only
under supervision. But this lasted for only for a short time; he
stopped coming, and we didn’t know what became of him. A
year later, I decided that I no longer had a father—he was dead
to me.
“I grew up and started to frequent nightclubs and to use
alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine. I also sold drugs. I would use
drugs to fall asleep, hoping I would never wake up. By the time
I turned twenty, I had already experienced what someone ten
years older than I might have, and I no longer wanted to live.
Life was a great disappointment to me.
“One day, I went to a church with my mother in exchange for
receiving enough money to go out, but I stayed in the service.
That night, I accepted the Lord into my heart—even though I
wasn’t really keen on the idea—and then I went to a nightclub.
While I smoked and drank, I heard a voice that said, I’m sorry,
Dámari, but you repeated the prayer. You are Mine, and you
no longer belong in this place. This voice continued to speak
to me, and, slowly, I followed it. I got rid of my worldly music
and clothes and began to tell my friends about God and to
deny them if they denied God. My mother’s prayers of the past
five years had been answered.
“On that day, seven years ago, I began to live. I went from
being a suicidal and depressed drug addict who believed that
she was an atheist to being a daughter of God. I stopped
smoking, drinking, and cursing, and I began to respond to the
voice of God and to have a relationship with Him. Before, I
hadn’t believed in the church, in pastors, or in God, but now I
serve in my church and love God and my pastors. I was even
able to forgive my father and restore my relationship with him.
Jesus Christ saved my life and gave me the opportunity to
know Him and to guide others to know Him, also.”

6. Lawlessness
Another cause of hardheartedness is lawlessness. At the
beginning of this chapter, we read in regard to the end times,
“Lawlessness will abound, [and] the love of many will grow
cold” (Matthew 24:12). In the original Greek, the word
trans lated “lawlessness” means “illegality” and indicates
“violation of law,” “transgression of the law,” “wickedness,”
“iniquity,” or “unrighteousness.” It comes from another Greek
word meaning “without law.”
Increasingly, our current generation demands to live without
beneficial restrictions and laws. One tragic result of this
development is that those who are victims of other people’s
lawlessness end up hardening their own hearts. Here are some
examples of scenarios that are occurring today:
A wife doesn’t want to live within her marriage
covenant, so she has an affair and divorces her
husband. Her husband becomes bitter and
suspicious, hardening his heart toward other
people; he no longer feels he can trust anyone
because the one who had been closest to him
deserted him.
A pastor chooses to reject integrity and to steal
from his church’s tithes and offerings. As a
result, people in his congregation or other
believers who hear about the incident feel
betrayed. In an attempt to protect themselves
from further deception and loss, they harden their
hearts toward the act of giving, choosing to
withhold their finances from even legitimate
kingdom purposes.
A woman grows up in a family that is filled with
lies and abuse. Consequently, she closes her
heart to love, never marrying or bringing children
into the world because she doesn’t want to create
conditions in which her own children would
potentially suffer the same experience.
A father continually fails to correct his son when
he misbehaves, eventually making excuses for the
boy as he grows older and covering up his son’s
lying and stealing. As a result, the child develops
an attitude of entitlement and superiority.
Hardening his heart, the son never learns to
respect other people or to take responsibility for
his actions, and he goes through life abusing and
hurting others, living only for himself.
A government takes advantage of its citizens
over a long period of time, abusing the people’s
rights and stealing from them. Therefore, the
people’s hearts grow hard; they begin to resist
their government and to rebel against authority of
any kind.
 We can see how lawlessness leads the heart to grow cold—
and a cold heart can quickly become hardened.
Signs of a Hardened Heart
There are some unmistakable signs that a heart has lost
sensitivity and is now hardened. Recognizing these signs will
help us to search our own heart for indications of coldness and
hardness. It will also enable us to identify people around us
who need healing from hardheartedness.
1. A Hardened Heart Does Not Feel God’s Presence
In the Old Testament, God appeared to Jacob in a dream,
telling him that He would be with him and would bless him.
“Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord
is in this place, and I did not know it’” (Genesis 28:16).
Jacob’s reply is a reminder that we can be in a place where
God’s presence manifests but not perceive it. This is an
indication of a hardened heart such as Jesus’ disciples had
when they didn’t understand who Jesus was, even though He
lived in their midst and demonstrated His deity to them.
I have been in church services where God’s presence has
manifested and most of the people there were touched (some
cried, some received physical healing, some experienced
spiritual transformation, and so forth), while others seemed to
be cold or hard (they yawned or otherwise acted bored, as if
nothing were taking place). Those whose heart is cold or hard
are more aware of themselves than they are of God; they are
conscious primarily of their own presence and thoughts. Yet,
because of their lack of interest in spiritual matters, they miss
out on the supernatural manifestation of the One who created
them!
It is dangerous to be in a condition in which you are a greater
reality to yourself than God is to you. The heart that doesn’t
sense God’s presence is often hostile toward manifestations of
His presence—resisting them and even rejecting them. When
this happens to a once-active Christian, he begins to operate
mechanically, without the involvement of God’s Spirit, because
religiosity has invaded his inner being. The result is that there
is no real life there. For example, a person may simply quote
Scripture without exercising genuine faith. He may operate
through formality and human rituals that do not demonstrate
God’s supernatural power or have eternal value.
To transform the heart, the Word of God must be spoken from
an atmosphere in which God is present.
2. A Hardened Heart Does Not Allow Faith to Flow
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation.…So then faith
comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans
10:10, 17). Faith is generated in the heart as we hear and receive
God’s Word. Likewise, faith develops in the heart. And, as we
have seen, whatever is in the heart will come out in what we
say. (See Matthew 12:34.) We rarely speak any word by
accident. Our words reveal aspects of our character and the
state of our inner man.
Therefore, if the confessions of your mouth don’t express the
faith that is in your heart, then your faith is not being allowed
to flow. When this happens, a hardened heart is usually the
cause. Review the areas of your life that are stagnant or corrupt
and compare them to other areas of your life in which God is
moving. Where faith flows, the words of your mouth will be full
of God’s power, but where it doesn’t flow, your words will not
align with His Word; they will not be a reflection of God’s own
faith, and therefore they will lack power.
For the most part, the culture of the Western world was built
on a foundation that emphasizes and relies on human intellect
and reason. That culture does not understand how genuine
faith operates or manifests. It regards faith from the viewpoint
of the natural world; however, faith is supernatural. As we will
discuss in chapter 6, the majority of those who live in Western
society are culturally programmed through the educational
process to suppress faith in the heart and to operate chiefly
from the framework of their intellect. Although there is a proper
place for the intellect, which God gave us to use for His glory,
we need to return to wholehearted faith that isn’t framed by the
intellect and doesn’t reason according to it alone.
Faith functions in keeping with God’s reasoning. As Paul
wro t e , “The foolishness of God is wiser than men” (1
Corinthians 1:25). When we allow faith to flow from our heart,
we become unshakable and unstoppable in God’s purposes.
For when our heart is set on God, our life will be transformed,
regardless of any efforts by the enemy to prevent it.
Faith is not mere optimism; rather, as the Scriptures say, it is
“the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen.” Therefore, our walk of faith is a supernatural one.
3. A Hardened Heart Moves from Commitment to “Wishful
Thinking”
 Another sign of a hardened heart is that a person will abandon
his commitments, disconnecting himself from the projects he
formerly participated in with other believers, with his family,
with his colleagues, and so forth. His mind is full of desires, but
they lead nowhere because hardheartedness has immobilized
his will and nullified his motivation. The person loses his
passion and is left only wishing for the fulfillment of things
that “would be good to do” but never become a reality. He may
think something like, If God wants this to happen, He will do
it, or If this vision is of God, it will come to pass; if not, that’s
all right with me.
Many churches are filled with “wishful thinkers” whose hearts
have become insensitive to faith and spiritual matters and who
therefore never commit to serve others or pursue worthy
projects. This is one reason why these churches do not grow
or help to advance God’s kingdom. The members are open to
the “idea” of a vision, but their heart is divorced from the
sacrifice and work needed to build it. Consequently, there is
often a great gap between what they say and what they do.
They may make a correct confession according to the Word of
God but then neglect to act on it in faith and in the power of
the Holy Spirit. It is easy to speak words that correspond with
faith, but if we don’t follow through with our words, we lack
genuine conviction. Anything we say we believe in but don’t
act on exposes a lack of integrity within us—we don’t really
believe it in our heart. “Faith by itself, if it does not have
works, is dead” (James 2:17).
A person’s integrity is measured not by his words but by
the extent to which he does what he says.
4. A Hardened Heart Rebels
Against God
Rebellion against God is a clear sign of a hardened heart.
However, it is possible for us to rebel against God without
recognizing that we are doing so, because our intellect
provides us with excuses to justify our rejection of certain
commands or instructions He has given us. In addition, we
talked earlier about how a person may manifest a spirit of
indifference when he does not discern God’s presence. In such
cases, the person usually does not become involved in
fulfilling the church’s vision by serving others, spreading the
gospel, or giving tithes and offerings to God. Sometimes, he
simply doesn’t care! Even so, he may begin to criticize the
church, its vision, and its leadership. When a believer rebels
against God’s delegated authority, he is rebelling against God
Himself.
Indifference and a critical spirit are signs of rebellion in a
church.
Perhaps your pastor has recently preached a message that are
you having trouble accepting. Think about that message
carefully. Was it biblically based, and did it describe something
that God has established for your own good? If so, why does it
bother you? Some people will leave a church because the
pastor preached on such topics as giving tithes and offerings,
seeking holiness, making a wholehearted commitment to God,
or the need for repentance of sin. The pastor didn’t do
anything but preach what is written in the Word of God.
Consequently, the people were not really offended by the
pastor but with God and His commands.
However, since these people were not able to discern the
presence of God in His Word, they blamed the pastor for
preaching a negative or meddlesome message. Their heart had
been hardened in some area or areas, preventing them from
receiving the revelation of what was being preached. As a
result, their heart was not stirred, and their will remained
inactive, and they were kept from humbly submitting to God’s
will. Because they were affronted by what the pastor said, they
stopped going to the church. Such people will continue to
rebel against God and His mandates in various areas of their
lives unless they allow God to change their heart. The
Scriptures say, “Let us…not [forsake] the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more as you see the Day [of the
return of Christ] approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25).
If someone makes a choice not to believe in God or to obey
what He has said, he puts himself into a state of open rebellion
against God that is the equivalent of standing before the
Almighty and calling Him a liar to His face. That may sound
harsh, but how many times have we, in effect, called God a
“liar” by our disobedience and rebellion? A rebellious person
will defend himself, and his inability to recognize or
acknowledge his bad behavior is a sign of a hardened heart
that doesn’t want to be forced to accept God’s will and the
supremacy of His wisdom—much less surrender willingly to it.
We must realize that every act of rebellion has consequences.
And the Scriptures warn us that “the destruction of
transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who
forsake the Lord shall be consumed” (Isaiah 1:28).
5. A Hardened Heart Justifies Wrongdoing and
Blames Others
Earlier, we discussed how the heart can grow cold after
someone has been hurt or wronged, and that this
coldheartedness can easily become hardheartedness. Many
such people seem to have excuses for their wrong behavior.
For instance, they may say something like the following:
“I am not a good mother because I grew up
without a mother myself, and no one taught me
how to be a parent. You can’t expect me to do a
better job as a mother.”
“I have a blunt personality because I never
received love at home while I was growing up. So,
take me or leave me—this is who I am, and I’m not
going to change now.”
“I won’t help out in any church program because
I was hurt by someone in my previous church
when I volunteered to help in a particular
ministry, and I don’t want to experience that
again.”
Some people manifest a hardened heart by having a thousand
reasons for remaining mediocre and doing nothing. They
refuse to seek change in their life or to commit to anything.
They continually justify their reluctance to become involved,
and they always place the blame for their problems or bad
attitudes on others. Accordingly, their behavior does not just
damage most of their relationships—it destroys them. It
isolates these people from those whom they love. It stifles their
opportunities to receive healing for their heart. And, it
squelches their growth—spiritual, mental, and emotional.
Freedom from a hardened heart requires a radical decision to
allow the Spirit of God to heal and transform your inner being.
6. A Hardened Heart Resists Open Communication and
Refuses Correction
Good communication is a key element in the foundation of
every healthy relationship. However, some additional signs of
a hardened heart are a strong resistance to two-way
communication and an indifferent attitude toward the
perspectives and needs of others. A person with a hardened
heart will often ignore those who try to appeal to him to
recognize how his attitudes or actions are hurting those who
are close to him. He doesn’t want to hear counsel or instruction
from anyone. For example, if he belongs to a church, he usually
believes he is above the spiritual authority of his pastor, his
spiritual father, or other church leaders. He doesn’t recognize
those to whom God has delegated authority, so he refuses to
hear their spiritual guidance or correction.
When the heart is hardened, it doesn’t submit to authority.
7. A Hardened Heart Seeks Its Interests Alone, Becoming
“Religious” and Judgmental
Another sign of a hardened heart is when a person seeks only
his own interests, placing himself above God and other people.
Often, merely listening to the needs of others seems tedious to
him, and he considers it a waste of time to do something about
those needs. For example, when a pastor no longer has a heart
for serving God’s people, the members of his congregation may
begin to represent merely a paycheck to him, while their
spiritual condition and needs are no longer a priority in his life.
Then, when the members perceive his careless attitude toward
them, they will become frustrated and angry. Many may begin
to openly air their grievances and/or leave the church.
The Holy Spirit is absent from everything that belongs to
the sinful nature.
Therefore, when a person allows his heart to lose its spiritual
sensitivity, he can become egocentric, ambitious, and self-
sufficient. Such a person is focused only on the externals of his
life, including his reputation among other people—he is all
about appearances, and he feels self-righteous about his
position. He does not make pleasing God his main concern but
rather develops a religious attitude that closes off his mind to
the ways in which God is moving. Accordingly, he criticizes
everything he does not understand or that is not done
according to his preferences. If God speaks to another person
rather than to him, he believes that the other person didn’t
really receive a word from God; he doesn’t want to feel that
anyone else is “better” than he is. He wants to believe he is the
only one who hears God’s voice and knows His Word.
Consequently, he becomes a modern “Pharisee”—someone
who considers himself to be an “absolute lord” of the truth. He
behaves as if he is king and judge over all.
The modern “Pharisee” is a lover of self and a servant of self.
He is his own cause and end result.
The above could be a description of Satan. He was created to
worship God, but somewhere along the way, his heart grew
cold and became hard. Satan no longer wanted to serve God
but rather decided to serve himself and his own interests, and
he later dragged Adam and Eve along with him in his rebellion
by tempting them to sin. The Scriptures say:
How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who
weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: “I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Yet you
shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the
Pit. (Isaiah 14:12–15)
Satan had been created perfect in every way. (See Ezekiel
28:12–17.) He was apparently the main worshipper of God and
the worship leader in heaven. Yet he became so absorbed in
himself that he began to rob the worship that belongs to the
Lord alone. Satan allowed his God-given gifts to dazzle him and
cloud his perspective. He was no longer happy with the
position God had granted him, and he believed that he could
and should be more than his Creator. He deceived himself, thus
opening the door for his heart to become corrupt.
The manner in which Satan became corrupted shows us how a
person can fall into self-deception and coldness of heart. For
example, suppose an individual who has a certain degree of
authority in a church or a business begins to feel he is “better”
than his situation, so he indicates that he no longer wants to
serve or work there. Based on his own ideas, rather than God’s
direction, he may say something like, “My ‘season’ in this
ministry has ended. God has something greater for me.”
The worst part of such a scenario is that, often, the type of
person who makes such a statement is the one who has
contributed the least to the church or business. If he is part of
a church, he has usually served the people very little and given
only meager amounts in support of the church’s mission. But,
while he has given the least, he has demanded—and perhaps
taken—the most! Even so, he believes that he should be given
greater status and honor, and he is filled with arrogance.
Likewise, Satan believed that he no longer had to serve God
and should be equal to Him. His heart had hardened, and he
could no longer see beyond himself.
8. A Hardened Heart Is Emotionally Cold and Bitter Toward
Others
As we discussed earlier, God gave us emotions to help us to
connect with other people and to express ourselves. Our
emotions also help us to recognize the pain and needs of other
people and to empathize with them. The Scriptures show us
that Jesus was moved by people’s suffering and needs. He felt
deeply for the human race.
For example, in one passage, we read, “When [Jesus] saw the
multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because
they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no
shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). In another instance, “Jesus wept”
(John 11:35) over the death of a friend. And, He was
“sorrowful and deeply distressed” (Matthew 26:37) when it
came time for Him to die for our sins. Much spiritual, mental,
and emotional strength is required for a man to cry as did
Jesus, the strongest Man who ever lived. Jesus was so moved
by humanity’s predicament of sin and death that He gave up
His life for us. He poured out His heart with tears and anguish
at Gethsemane on behalf of the salvation of humanity and in
anticipation of what it would take to redeem us.
There was no selfishness or hardness in Jesus’ heart. He
surrendered His human will so that the divine will could be
fulfilled “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10; Luke
11:2). In contrast, as we have noted, those who harden their
hearts become emotionally cold, concerned only for
themselves, not for the welfare of others. They may also
become bitter toward other people. The Scriptures warn us,
“[Look] carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God;
lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by
this many become defiled” (Hebrews 12:15). A heart that
cultivates bitterness, allowing it to grow, will inevitably become
hard and will defile other people with whom it comes into
contact.

9. A Hardened Heart Enjoys Sin

Another symptom of a hardened heart is an enjoyment of
partaking in sin and in giving free rein to the “lusts of the
flesh” (2 Peter 2:18). This occurs when people’s sinful nature
becomes completely enthroned in their inner being, so that it
directs their life. Such people lack a proper fear of God, which
would have restrained their corrupt behavior.
In contrast, when a person’s heart is aligned with God’s, he
recognizes that sin is only a temporal pleasure that leads to
destruction and eternal death, so that he doesn’t want
anything to do with it! To avoid a hardened heart that pursues
sin, we must follow the example of Moses:
By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the
reward. (Hebrews 11:24–26)
10. A Hardened Heart Holds Back Tithes and Offerings from
God
A hardened heart always seeks a reason not to give tithes or
offerings to the Lord. To a person whose heart has grown cold,
honoring God is not a priority, so he will find excuses to get
out of doing so. For example, he may say that God doesn’t
require people’s money in order to do His work, or that it is the
responsibility of the government alone to help the poor and
destitute, and that we should not have to give a portion of our
paycheck to alleviate the needs of those less fortunate than we
are. Such a mind-set is the opposite of the one belonging to
Mary, a follower of Jesus, who gave the best she had to her
Lord:
Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard,
anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair.
And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. But
 one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would
betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for
three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:3–5)
Judas’s heart had become corrupt to the point that he
pretended to be concerned about those who were poor, when
he himself was robbing the funds designated for them: “This
[Judas] said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he
was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what
was put in it” (John 12:6). When Judas saw the great offering
of love that Mary poured out to Jesus, his words of rebuke
revealed the hardness of his heart.

11. A Hardened Heart Does Not

Worship God
When a person does not desire to worship God, it is a clear
sign that some hardening of heart has taken place. The person
who consistently lives without the manifest presence of God
usually becomes used to a religious formality that is far
removed from true worship. He essentially practices the
absence of the presence of the God whom he claims to serve.
In fact, he often rejects the genuine presence of the Lord
because it convicts him of his need to repent of his sins and
his lack of love and to experience the transformation of his
heart.
Dangers and Consequences of Maintaining a Hardened Heart
Now that we know the causes and signs of a hardened heart,
let us turn to the serious consequences of allowing this
condition to continue in our inner man indefinitely—
consequences for our life and for the lives of our descendants.

1. A Fall into Calamity

“Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who
hardens his heart will fall into calamity” (Proverbs 28:14). From
my ministerial experience, I can say that the person whose
heart has lost its spiritual sensitivity is moving toward disaster.
Disobedience and spiritual error will guide his decisions, and
his end will be spiritual death, if he does not repent and turn
back to God. There is no way for someone whose heart has
long been hardened to please God and to walk with Him.
Regardless of whether the individual appears holy, if his heart
is hardened, God is not present there. All we see is a mere
image—a smoke screen. It is false piety, which sooner or later
falls to evil.

2. Brokenness, Sometimes Without

Remedy
“He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly
be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1). The
phrase “hardens his neck” indicates a refusal to recognize a
truth or to change something in yourself that is wrong; it is an
insistence on maintaining a false mentality or on making your
own ideas and mentality your god. In effect, it is telling God
that He is wrong and that His counsel is not needed, which is
nothing less than rebellion.
The consequence of the above is to be broken by God,
perhaps “without remedy.” I sincerely hope that this is not
your situation and that it is not too late for you to recognize
your condition before the Creator. God is a God of second
chances. If you repent and recommit to Him, He can transform
your heart and save you from evil, brokenness, and a lost
condition.
3. The Removal of the Presence and Power of God
Even after you have hardened your heart, God’s presence may
remain over your life for a time. However, if the condition
continues, His presence will lift, and His power will cease to
operate through you. For example, Samson was a judge and
warrior in Israel, but his heart was not fully aligned with the
Lord’s, and he repeatedly surrendered to sin. At one point,
Samson went too far, failing to respect the calling God had
given him, and the Scriptures say of him that “he awoke from
his sleep, and said, ‘I will go out as before, at other times, and
shake myself free!’ But he did not know that the Lord had
departed from him” (Judges 16:20). What ultimately happened
to Samson—losing the gift God had given him; being captured
by his enemies; having his eyes put out; being mocked and
humiliated; and, finally, when God restored his strength,
destroying his enemies and himself by bringing down the
Philistine temple of Dagon on them—is one of the saddest and
least illustrious ends of a man chosen by God.
4. A “Seared Conscience”
 The apostle Paul wrote, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in
latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to
deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in
hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot
iron…” (1 Timothy 4:1–2). To have a “seared conscience”
means to come into a state of indifference to sin as a result of
continuous, willful transgression against God’s commands.
The person with a seared conscience sins without remorse
because his heart has become callused. Eventually, he turns
his back on the Lord Himself without any remorse.
It is essential to understand that “searing” is a process. No
one who has experienced a genuine encounter with Jesus will
deny Him suddenly. The process begins when a person starts
committing a sin in a certain area, or when, after being hurt by
someone, he continues to hold on to bitter feelings without
releasing his hurt to God and forgiving the offending party.
In the beginning, the person’s conscience will bother him, and
he may experience conviction from the Holy Spirit that he is not
in a good place. However, if he doesn’t repent, then the next
time he sins, he will feel less bad; the following time even less;
and so forth, until his conscience stops rebuking him because
it has been seared.
The searing process is similar to what occurs when a callus
develops somewhere on our physical body. For example, when
a person starts learning to play the guitar, the act of fingering
the strings will be somewhat painful and will cause the tips of
his fingers to become red. But then small calluses will form, and
he will stop feeling any pain, because that part of his skin is no
longer soft and sensitive but hard and insensitive.
 Spiritually speaking, when a person starts to harden his heart,
“calluses” will begin to develop on it. If the process is allowed
to continue, the individual will come to regard sin as something
normal, because he is no longer sensitive to the prompting or
conviction of God; he no longer has a reverent fear of the Lord,
and he has given his sinful nature free rein. The person will
now justify his sin, and his seared conscience will conclude, I
have a right to do this, or God won’t care if I do this.
The Scriptures warn, “For if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains
a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26). At that point, we can say
that the person has fallen into “apostasy”; he has abandoned
the faith after “[having] tasted the good word of God and the
powers of the age to come…” (Hebrews 6:5). In other words,
after knowing and experiencing Christ and receiving God’s
supernatural works, he denies and rejects them, perhaps even
mocking what he used to consider holy. He completely walks
away from the Lord. In military terms, such a person would be
called a deserter.
The Condition of Your Heart
After more than twenty-five years in ministry, I have seen the
above consequences in the lives of church leaders and other
believers who chose to maintain their hardened hearts and not
allow themselves to be changed by the Lord. What is the
condition of your heart today? Could it be that you no longer
feel the presence of God, so that you have fallen into the mere
formality of religion, and faith has stopped flowing in you? Do
you observe others closely for the purpose of finding a reason
to judge them? Have you gone back on your commitments to
God and to His people, so that you no longer serve them? Is
there rebellion in your inner man, causing you to close yourself
off from others and to refuse to recognize God’s delegated
authority in your life? Do you find your heart centered on the
desires of the sinful nature, so that you have begun to enjoy
activities and practices that offend God? Do you recognize an
area of your life that is not responsive to God’s love, will, and
authority? Do you find it hard to offer heartfelt worship and
generous offerings to the Lord?
If you recognize in yourself any of the above signs of a
hardened heart, I pray to God that you will decide to place
yourself in His hands, that you will allow Him to operate in
your heart to transform it through His Holy Spirit, so that His
favor and grace can continue to flow in your life. Stop thinking
about it—do it! Stop prolonging the agony that causes your
spirit to be separated from God in any of the aforementioned
areas. Today is the day of your transformation!
The following is the account of two sisters whose hearts
became full of pride. Their condition led them to turn away from
God while allowing coldness and self-interest to take over their
lives. One of the sisters, Luisa, writes, “Although we were
raised in a culture dominated by Catholicism, our entire family
met and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior while my sister and
I were still children. We began to attend church, and we served
in various ministries during our childhood and adolescent
years. When we entered the university, our faith was criticized,
and this criticism threatened to block us from becoming
professionals, making us feel very rejected, sad, and angry. It
was then that the demands of school seemed like a good
excuse to separate ourselves from the church and,
consequently, from God. We focused on our careers, goals,
and commitments.
“After more than ten years of struggling, we graduated with
honors from important universities. My sister studied literature
and nursing. I studied art, literature, and philosophy. In our
search for greater professional accomplishments, we moved to
the United States, where we were able to fulfill our dreams. Our
lives seemed to be wonderful, but the truth was that, regardless
of all the good things that surrounded us, we still felt out of
sorts. Without God, our lives seemed destined for ruin as we
trusted more in our abilities and knowledge than on Him.
“But then a crisis entered our successful world. Not knowing
what to do, we started to look for a church where we could
receive spiritual covering. We knocked on many doors, but
none filled our void until my sister saw a King Jesus church
service on television. We attended the church and became
reconciled to God and to our parents—their prayers had finally
reached us. The experience was like being reborn, like
breathing again after being underwater for a long time.
However, as we got closer to God, adversity increased like a
river until our ‘castle’ tumbled down. We lost many material
things, but the hand of God helped to keep us strong as it
polished our hearts. We died to the pride that had built our
lives; we surrendered to God and learned to obey Him. Finally,
He restored us. He equipped us by teaching us to fight
through prayer, to live by faith, to stand on His Word, and to
seek His face and wait on Him. He gave us back even more
than what we had lost. Today, God is, once again, the Lord of
our lives and of our time. He is our true Provider and, more than
ever, the center of our existence.”
The Cure for the Hardened Heart
There is a cure for the person who has a hardened heart if he
will surrender to God, give up his “ego,” yield his intellect and
reason to God, and allow Him to transform him. If your heart
has become hardened, you are not lost, because God can
“make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”
(Isaiah 43:19). He promises, “If My people who are called by
My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles
7:14). Let us explore the path that leads to the cure for the
hardened heart.
“Circumcision” of the Heart
In the Old Testament, physical circumcision involved cutting
off the foreskin of the male reproductive organ, symbolizing
that the individual was a member of the covenant people of
God. In the New Testament, after Christ shed His blood on the
cross for our sins and was resurrected, circumcision became a
spiritual act in the human heart—although a spiritual
application was also relevant under the old covenant. For
example, in Deuteronomy, we read, “Therefore circumcise the
foreskin of your heart, and be stiffnecked no longer”
(Deuteronomy 10:16).
Therefore, from the onset of the practice of circumcision, it
was clear that God was primarily interested in the human heart.
We must be fully aware that heart circumcision has to be
maintained, because when a person stops seeking God’s
presence and His transformation, that individual will become
stagnant and begin to backslide—he will start a reverse
journey toward engaging in old habits and justifying his sin,
rather than repenting of his sin and giving it up. Paul wrote,
“For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision
that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not
in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God”
(Romans 2:28–29). We must die to our sinful nature if we want
to once again be sensitive to the voice of God and the ways in
which He is working today.
When our heart is circumcised, we renounce our trust in fallen
human nature and begin to trust totally in divine grace.
True Repentance Provides the Only Access to
Heart Circumcision
Every sin or wrong attitude that we fail to repent of
contributes to the hardening of our heart. Genuine repentance
is necessary in order to restore our heart from its hardened
state. What is repentance? It is a complete change of heart and
mind that leads to a change in behavior. Accordingly, true
repentance involves a new frame of mind that reflects a change
in attitude. When we realize our hardened spiritual condition
before God and the rebellious nature that has led us away from
Him, repentance is the decision we make to turn 180 degrees
and walk in the opposite direction—toward Him. Repentance
also indicates our decision not to rule ourselves any longer but
to be ruled by God, according to His Word and will.
Therefore, if your heart is hard, you need to repent of sin,
whether it is sin you are currently engaged in or a generational
curse that was passed down through your family line—such as
may be manifested in an addiction that cannot be broken or in
persistent depression. Repentance will enable you to enter into
God’s presence again. When you turn from your sins and
wrong attitudes, you allow your heart to soften toward the
Lord. Without repentance, your faith will be void. For example,
a thief can try to believe that God forgives the sin of stealing,
but if he doesn’t repent of his thieving, the faith to receive
forgiveness cannot operate in him, nor will God’s power be
able to work in his heart to transform him.
The areas in which our heart is hardened are those
in which we resist God.
Only the Holy Spirit Can Circumcise the Heart
It is vital to recognize that the only One who can circumcise
your heart is God’s Holy Spirit. He knows you, and He has the
power and the love to circumcise you without hurting you. I
pray that your eyes will be opened so you can see the true
state of your heart. Although your heart may not be fully
hardened, there is surely some area of your life you need to
surrender to God so that you may be transformed. Don’t
deprive yourself of this blessing. Don’t be afraid of losing
something that you have, because what God wants to give you
is a thousand times better!
I pray that you may experience true repentance, allowing the
Holy Spirit to circumcise your heart from wrong mind-sets,
wrong thoughts, and wrong habits that have created thick
calluses, making you unable to feel or perceive God’s presence,
and making it difficult for you to establish healthy relationships
with other people. I pray that the Holy Spirit will remove the
“heart of stone” within you—including the wounds, pain, and
feelings of rejection that have caused you to harden your heart
—and will give you a “heart of flesh”—one that is new, soft,
and tender; one that restores your innocence. If you will allow
Him to, God will cleanse, purify, and sanctify your heart.
Choose to be circumcised by the Holy Spirit, and receive an
anointing from God like never before.
Realize that your heavenly Father wants to do a “heart
transplant” within you right now. If you will open your heart to
God, yield yourself to Him, and give Him permission to do this
spiritual surgery, He will remove your heart of stone and
replace it with a heart of flesh.
Reaching the fulfillment of our purpose in God involves
surrendering our will to His.
Benefits of Circumcision of the Heart
The following summarizes some of the benefits of allowing the
Holy Spirit to circumcise your heart. Heart circumcision…
restores innocence to you.
increases your sensitivity to the presence of God.
increases your ability to receive what you need
from God—and what He wants to give you.
increases your ability to carry a greater anointing
without deviating from it or contaminating it.
 maintains a continuous flow of the life of God
within you.
makes the spiritual realm more real and tangible to
you.
causes your heart to surrender quickly to God.
causes you to no longer resist the process of
transformation but rather to submit to it, knowing
that it will bring you closer to your heavenly
Father.
When our heart is soft and tender, there is nothing
we won’t do for God.
Prayer for Circumcision of the Heart
If you have come to the realization that you need God to
circumcise your heart and remove everything within it that is
evil and hard, so that you can draw close to Him again, then
please repeat this prayer out loud:
Heavenly Father, I come into Your presence praising and
worshipping Your name. I present myself before You on the
merits of Your Son Jesus Christ alone. I recognize that there are
areas in my heart that have been hardened, but I repent
wholeheartedly and ask You to forgive me. I repent of allowing
past hurts and failures to usurp lordship over me; for allowing
my heart to be hardened by sin, offenses, emotional wounds,
disobedience, rebellion, and wickedness. Lord, forgive me for
repeatedly disobeying Your voice and for not giving You Your
rightful place in all areas of my life. Right now, I ask You to
circumcise my heart, to remove the calluses that prevent me
from feeling, perceiving, or discerning the spiritual world and
the need I have of You. Please restore my innocence so that I
can believe in You with the trust of a child and be sensitive to
Your Holy Spirit. Father, fill me with Your power and presence,
even now. Transform my heart, in the name of Jesus, amen!
Prayer for Salvation and Transformation
Perhaps you have not yet received Jesus as your Savior and
Lord, but your conscience is telling you that there is a real God
who wants to transform your life and is fully able to do so. I
invite you to become a child of God, just as a young man
named Stephen did. Stephen was raised in Rastafarianism, a
religious cult. In this group, marijuana is considered to be a
“holy herb” that supposedly produces physical,
psychological, and therapeutic powers; it is practically a god to
the Rastafarian culture. Stephen was only five years old when
he began to smoke joints. He smoked marijuana as a “mediator”
to the spirit world and also practiced witchcraft. Stephen grew
his fingernails long and wore dreadlocks. He believed in
himself and in his own power to do whatever needed to be
done.
But Stephen was raised without a father, and his walk through
life was a devastating cycle of deception and calamity. He
learned survival skills while living on the streets. But on those
streets he encountered pornography, which caused him to
deviate from his natural sexual orientation. Stephen’s sexual
confusion caused him to become aggressive toward
homosexuals, hiding the fact that he felt attracted to other men.
Furthermore, he was involved in buying and selling drugs as a
way to support his lifestyle. He had become addicted to drugs,
and he had also developed a physical heart ailment, which
made his situation even worse.
Stephen remembers the event that led him to Christ. It was an
encounter with the living God that transformed his gangster
character into one of a sanctified man of God who is now on
the right track. Sometime earlier, when Stephen had been
hospitalized for anger issues and was under the supervision of
a clinical psychologist, his grandmother had given him a Bible,
which he had kept but never read. Then, during a drug
transaction, he walked by a table in his room and noticed the
Bible. He considered its presence there to be rather strange, as
he had not seen the Bible since he’d come home after his
hospital stay. He recalled, “I saw the Bible and became afraid. I
thought it was a hallucination, a side effect of drug use.”
He left the room for a moment, and when he returned for more
merchandise, he suddenly heard a voice that said, You will not
leave this place until you pick up the Bible. The supernatural
power of God prevented him from leaving the room until he
physically touched the Bible. “I couldn’t open the door or walk
forward,” he said. Stephen picked up the Bible, sat down, and
began to read it. Suddenly, he was able to understand what he
was reading, as if it were being spoken to him by a friend.
“There was no way for me to have understood the Bible before
that day; it had never made sense to me, but God made me
understand it.”
On another occasion, the Holy Spirit said to him, Wash your
hands, because today you begin a new season in holiness.
Stephen did this and declared that the healing blood of Jesus
cleansed and liberated him from all generational curses. And,
when he went back to the doctor for more follow-up tests
regarding his heart condition, the results came back negative,
showing no traces of the sickness from which he had suffered
for years.
That is how Stephen received a new beginning in God. Today,
he is on fire for the Lord as an evangelist who produces
abundant fruit. Likewise, if your repentance is sincere, the Holy
Spirit will circumcise your heart, and you will begin to see
changes in your life that you have been unable to experience in
your own strength. To repent and receive Jesus as your Lord
and Savior, pray the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner and that my sin
separates me from You. My heart is in need of transformation,
which only You can accomplish. I believe that Jesus died on
the cross for me and that You raised Him from the dead. I
confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I repent of all my
sins and break every evil covenant I have made with the world,
with my sinful nature, and with the devil. According to the
power of Jesus’ sacrifice for me, I break all generational curses
operating in my life. Now, I make a new covenant of
righteousness with Jesus. I ask Jesus to come into my heart
and to change my life, filling me with the Holy Spirit. If I were to
die right now, I know I would be in Your presence when I
opened my eyes in eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen!
5
 Healing for an Offended Heart

Over the course of my ministry, I have seen tragic

consequences occur in people’s lives when they have allowed
offenses to become rooted in their heart. Wherever there is an
offended heart, look out! As the Scriptures say, “A brother
offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions
are like the bars of a castle” (Proverbs 18:19).
In this book, I use the terms offense and offended in relation to
the negative attitude a person adopts after being affronted by
someone or something, so that he sins in attitude, word, or
deed—and usually keeps on sinning as he develops bitterness
and resentment toward the offending individual or situation.
An offense goes beyond taking momentary exception to a
casual comment someone makes or to the rudeness of a
stranger (unless it continues to fester within you). We may be
temporarily bothered by someone’s remark or behavior and
then immediately let it go or release it through prayer, with no
lingering negative feelings. In contrast, an offense is
something that remains in our heart.
As I wrote earlier, I have seen offenses divide churches,
ministries, marriages, families, businesses, and organizations. I
have seen people lose their spiritual and natural inheritances
alike—inheritances such as miracles, healings, deliverances,
and financial blessings—so that they never attain to their full
purpose in God. I would suggest that the chief reason people
decide to leave a church is that they were offended by
someone or by some policy. If no one were ever offended, our
churches and ministries would grow large and remain so;
certainly, we would be more effective in expanding God’s
kingdom, and our testimony to the world would have a much
greater impact. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are
My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
The problem of offenses is nothing new. For example, in the
Bible, we find accounts of people like King Saul, who held on
to an offense, causing him grave consequences, including
being removed from the presence of God, forfeiting his
anointing and kingship, and even losing his life. (See 1 Samuel
9–31.) The greatest tragedy of holding on to an offense—and
its most frightening aspect—is that it can result in eternal
separation from God if a person continues down a path of
anger and revenge, allowing his bitterness either to keep him
from receiving Christ in the first place or to reject his Lord.
In this chapter, we will explore what an offense is, the
characteristics of an offended heart, the root of offenses, and
how to deal with offenses effectively. I pray that you will be
able to identify the state of your heart with respect to this
subject and be set free from any destructive offenses that you
may be harboring.
What Is an Offense?
Several different Greek words in the New Testament are
translated as “offense” in the New King James Version . One of
these Greek words is skandalon, from which we get the word
“scandal.” This term means “a stick for bait (of a trap),” or “a
snare (figuratively, cause of displeasure or sin).” It indicates
“occasion to fall (of stumbling),” “stumbling block,” or “thing
that offends.” In fact, when translating skandalon, certain
Bible versions sometimes use the word “stumbling block”
rather than “offense,” such as in Matthew 16:23 (niv, nasb).
An offense is a trap, and traps are hardly ever set by accident.
When a trap is set for a person, it means that someone wants
to impede that individual’s progress, steal from him, or even kill
him. Satan, the enemy of our soul, is behind various traps that
come into our life to hinder us and to take away what God has
given us; the enemy desires to rob us of our purpose, destiny,
spiritual and natural inheritance, family unity, and spiritual
harmony with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Contriving to
thwart the advancement of God’s kingdom, Satan tries to
prevent the will of our heavenly Father from being established
on the earth. He desires not only to deceive us but also to
cause us to perish spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and
physically. For this reason, Satan seeks to cause us to be
offended not only by other people but also by God Himself.
In the Scriptures, we see several examples of people who were
offended by God, including John the Baptist. He was
imprisoned by King Herod toward the end of his ministry,
during which he had served God faithfully. While John waited
for some response from his cousin Jesus, he became offended
when his expectation—perhaps of a supernatural rescue—was
not fulfilled. His faith was in crisis, and his maturity was on trial
—so much so that he began to doubt Jesus’ identity as the
Messiah.
John sent two of his own disciples to Jesus to ask Him, “Are
You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” (Matthew
11:3). Christ instructed these disciples to report to John the
signs that had followed Him and the miracles that had taken
place by His hand, which John would recognize as being the
works of the Messiah. (See Matthew 11:4–5.)
Then, Christ declared, “Blessed is he who is not offended
because of Me” (Matthew 11:6). The word translated
“offended” in this verse is skandalizo, which is the verb form of
the noun skandalon we noted above. Skandalizo means “to
entrap, i.e. trip up (fig. stumble or entice to sin, apostasy or
displeasure).” Therefore, I believe Jesus was saying, in effect,
“Tell John not to be offended with Me, because the offense
might cause him to stumble in his faith or even to fall away
from Me and miss out on My purpose for coming to the earth.”
Many people today are offended by God because He has not
yet answered their prayers; because He has not yet healed
them; because they are suffering from some other adversity,
and He has not yet delivered them; or for other reasons. They
have come to view God as an obstacle rather than as their
ultimate Source of life and power in the midst of their situation.
If Jesus Himself did not avoid offending various people among
whom He lived and ministered (such as John the Baptist, many
Pharisees and scribes, Judas Iscariot, and others), no one else
on this earth will be able to avoid it, either. At times, when we
offend someone, it is because we have made an error or have
been insensitive; however, at other times, when we offend
someone, it is because he expects us to do something that we
cannot or should not do.
An offense is a trap of the enemy to rob us of purpose, destiny,
and harmonious relationships.
Unintended Offenses
Once, when I taught at my church on the subject of offenses, I
asked people whom I had offended to come to me so that we
could talk through the offense and resolve it. To my surprise, I
discovered that many people were offended with me! In most
cases, I didn’t even know that the people were offended, much
less why. What shocked me most were the reasons people
gave for the offenses, most of which seemed rather
inconsequential. For example, someone told me, “I am offended
because you walked right past me and didn’t say hello.” I don’t
remember the circumstance, but I may have been focused on a
particular task or concern at the time. Someone else said, “I am
offended with you because the message you preached a month
ago was spoken against me.” I had no idea that he had a
problem related to what I had preached.
Another complained, “You didn’t pray for me yourself. You
had another pastor pray for me.” Our church has thousands of
members; it is truly impossible for me to pray for each person
who asks for prayer. Because of this fact, God has equipped
our church with additional pastors and workers whom we have
trained in ministry and who have a heart for God, so they can
help us serve His people. Those who become offended
because they think they are being overlooked by me or by my
wife don’t understand the “blood, sweat, and tears” that we
have poured into spiritually training those pastors and
workers. We have invested in them with everything that God
has given us, and the power of the Lord operates through
them, just as it does through us.
Other people have been offended with me because I didn’t
personally visit them when they were in the hospital; because
they were not asked to be an elder, minister, pastor, or leader;
because I didn’t call them to wish them a happy birthday;
because I didn’t give them a hug when I saw them; and for
various other reasons.
What was my response when these people came to me with
the above offenses? With a desire to heal their heart and to
preserve our relationship of spiritual father to spiritual son or
daughter, I asked them, with all sincerity, to forgive me,
because it had not been my intention to offend them.
Offenses take place in the heart, not in the mind.
Various Manifestations of the Trap of Offense
There are so many reasons why people become offended. A
common problem in the church is that numerous leaders are
affronted by the success of others in the body of Christ. For
example, they may become jealous of another pastor because
his church is bigger, because he apparently has a greater
anointing, or because he seems to have been blessed more
abundantly by God. Unfortunately, it is common in churches
for people to allow offenses to ferment within them and never
be resolved. I believe this explains why many people in the
body of Christ live a life of defeat and suffer various illnesses.
As with John the Baptist, people often become offended when
their expectations and preconceived ideas are not met. Let’s
look at two scenarios from the business world. An employee is
offended after being fired, so he sues the company for unfair
termination or lost wages. There are times when such suits are
valid because the employee has truly been mistreated.
However, sometimes, the fired employee has been irresponsible
or unproductive, yet he still becomes offended because he
expected the company to keep him in its employ, regardless of
his bad performance or lack of diligence. In his mind, he
imagines he has good reasons for suing the company, but, in
reality, he had not completed even the minimum amount of
work necessary to fulfill his responsibilities. On the other hand,
some business owners and managers believe they “possess”
their employees and have a right to control them and take
advantage of them. Such owners and managers will become
offended if a faithful, longtime employee requests a reasonable
raise or improved working conditions.
There are some people who always feel offended by others
because they can’t stand to see anyone else happy, blessed,
prospering, or loved. They may become offended by the wealth
or prosperity of others because they don’t want anyone else to
succeed or make more money than they do. They might
become offended for the simple reason that another individual
is hardworking while their own work habits are mediocre. They
might be affronted by their neighbor’s greater intelligence or
happier family life. Such people become offended without
taking into account certain considerations—the sacrifices
another person may have endured; the covenants he may have
made with God, which he was faithful to observe; the tithes
and offerings he may have given, even during difficult times;
his obedience to kingdom principles; and so forth.
In the following testimony, we can see how holding on to a
painful offense debilitated the life of a woman named Jeniffer.
She writes, “I got pregnant when I was eighteen years old. I
had been in a relationship with my baby’s father for a long
time, but as soon as he learned that I was pregnant, he asked
me to abort the baby. I refused, and he left me. When my
mother found out through other people about my pregnancy,
she suffered a lot because she was a single mother with two
daughters and understood how difficult that life is. I was three
months pregnant when she, too, asked me to abort the baby.
My mother made an appointment at a clinic, and, the very next
day, I was sitting in the clinic’s waiting room.
“There were many women there, but I was the youngest. The
procedure was to take approximately ten minutes or less; the
women just kept going in and coming out. When it was my
turn, the process was very painful! I felt as if something inside
me was sucking out my uterus. That experience changed me. I
directed all of the pain and bitterness in my heart toward my
mother for denying me my child. I didn’t express my feelings
toward her, but I treated her badly. I wanted to be pregnant
again. I would cry while touching my belly and behave as if I
had a baby inside of me.
“I got pregnant again by another boyfriend, but I had a
miscarriage. It was then that I ‘lost it’ and fell into a deep
depression. I couldn’t sleep, and I felt empty. I believed that
only a baby could fill my void, and I sought refuge in
fornication and pornography.
“When nothing made sense anymore, I found Christ through a
coworker who invited me to a church service. When I entered
the church, I felt like I had returned home. My heart was full of
emotion! I went forward to the altar to receive Christ. Since
then, my life has changed. Now I serve God, and I am happy.
The Lord restored my relationship with my mother and erased
the guilt. I understand that my babies are in heaven with my
Lord.”
In His love, the Lord freed Jeniffer from her offended heart,
took away her guilt, enabled her to forgive, and restored her
enjoyment of life. In the next section, we will explore some
significant truths about offenses that will help us to learn how
to deal with them effectively.
Important Truths About Offenses

1. Offenses Are Inevitable in a

Fallen World
Jesus said, “It is impossible that no offenses [skandalon]
should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”
(Luke 17:1). In this statement, Christ used a powerful word:
“impossible.” As a result of the fall of humanity and the sinful
nature human beings inherited, offenses became an inevitable
and grievous part of human relationships. However, when we
are reconciled to God through Christ and become His children,
we are called to live according to a new nature that reflects His
heart. Therefore, it is essential that we learn to deal with
offenses effectively. The first step is to prayerfully determine
beforehand how we will behave when offenses come into our
life and what the attitude of our heart will be as we deal with
them. This chapter will help you to take that first step so you
can become free of offenses.
2. Everyone Will Offend in Word
and Deed
Because we are members of the human race, we will, at one
point or another, offend others in word and deed. As the
Scriptures say, “For we all stumble [“offend” kjv] in many
things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man,
able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). In this verse,
“stumble” or “offend” is translated from the Greek word ptaio,
which literally means “to trip.” Figuratively, it means to “err,”
“sin,” “fail (of salvation),” “fall,” “offend,” or “stumble.”
Likewise, regardless of where or with whom we live, we will
inevitably become offended by another person—a spouse,
child, parent, friend, boss, coworker, classmate, or someone
else. However, we must realize that, in most cases, the people
by whom we are offended don’t even know they have
affronted us. And, as we have seen, we, too, may offend
someone else without even realizing it. Our cooperation with
God in the supernatural transformation of our heart includes
asking Him to help us to willingly let go of offenses, live free of
bitterness, and resolve any discord with others as soon as
possible and as far as we are able. (See, for example, Romans
12:17–18.) When we do this in sincerity of heart, we will be
blessed by God and filled with His joy.

3. Offenses Are Instructive to Us

 We have noted that offenses prompt reactions from us that
reveal what is truly in our heart. Sometimes, we might think we
have progressed far in spiritual maturity. But then we
demonstrate that we have an unresolved heart issue by
reacting badly—perhaps with bitterness or pride—when we are
faced with an offense. Therefore, when we become offended,
we should use the circumstance for good in our life by allowing
it to instruct us about the true condition of our inner being and
by seeking healing.
When they are affronted, some people will ignore the person
who caused them to feel offended; they stop communicating
with him, and they might even end the relationship. Others will
lash out at the offending person, spouting insults and creating
strife; in other words, they behave like a child who throws a
temper tantrum when he doesn’t get his own way. Still others
will exaggerate the offense and—behind the person’s back—
will begin to seek vengeance by making accusations, involving
other people in the situation in unconstructive ways, and so
forth.
Sometimes, we may be surprised to see those whom we
considered less mature deal better with offenses than those
whom we thought were much more mature. Rather than
abruptly ending the relationship, yelling at the other party, or
seeking revenge, they followed the biblical pattern of talking
with the person privately, seeking reconciliation, and forgiving
him, especially if the offense was intentional. (See, for example,
Matthew 18:15–17.) Their example is the pattern we should all
follow when offended.
Let me add one other word on this subject. Suppose you
become offended by a matter that is, in actuality,
inconsequential—for example, someone did not greet you as
you expected him to, or someone made an offhand comment
that you did not like—and the other person is unaware that
you were offended by it. In such cases, it is often best just to
release the offense to God, ask His forgiveness for your
attitude, and move forward with your life without saying
anything to the individual that might prolong the matter or
even make it worse.
When you are offended, discern the true state of your heart,
repent of any sin, ask God’s forgiveness, and be healed.
4. We Can Be Justified or Unjustified in Feeling Offended
There are many genuine offenses in this world that cause
people to feel affronted—offenses that produce hurt,
confusion, and despair. We all have human emotions, and
when we are unjustly treated or see someone else being
abused, we will naturally experience such emotions as anger,
anxiety, or sorrow. Feelings of hostility or grief may rise within
us, whether we want them to or not. Remember that Jesus
exhibited righteous anger when He saw people acting unjustly
or with hypocrisy. (See, for example, John 2:13–17.) On the
other hand, as we have just discussed, there are times when we
feel affronted over issues that are inconsequential or trifling.
It is not so much the initial feeling of offense that matters but
what we do with that emotion. Therefore, whether our being
offended is justifiable or unjustifiable in a given situation, our
response should always be to choose to forgive. Otherwise,
our heart will become resentful or bitter, leading to destructive
attitudes and actions that we will someday regret. Jesus Christ
was unfairly judged to be a blasphemer by the religious leaders
of His day, and He was unjustly crucified by the Romans.
However, He forgave those who killed Him. (See Luke 23:34.)
He surrendered His right of offense in order to attain the higher
purpose of saving human beings from their sins, including
those who treated Him unjustly. Who would have more reason
to be affronted by those who mistreated Him than the sinless
Son of God? Yet Jesus kept His heart pure and allowed God the
Father to establish justice in His own way and in His own time.
In doing so, Jesus accomplished the redemption of the world.

5. Offenses Are Signs of the End

Times
“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and
will hate one another.…And because lawlessness will abound,
the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:10, 12).
Previously, we discussed the fact that wickedness would
increase during the end times, and that it is already increasing,
causing many people to grow cold in heart. In general, people
today seem much less interested in their neighbors’ feelings
and needs. They don’t care if they hurt, offend, or mistreat
others, as long as they can meet their own objectives. The
worst part is that many people seem indifferent to the reality
that their heart is growing increasingly cold and hard.
A major reason hearts are growing cold is that offenses are
multiplying as wickedness escalates. A vicious pattern
develops when there is an increase in wickedness: Offenses
lead to coldness, and coldness leads to hardened hearts, and
hardened hearts lead to additional offenses. It is dangerous to
enter that cycle!
If we choose to remain permanently offended, we will promote
the treacherous pattern described above. Instead, we must
endeavor to be living examples of Christ’s prophetic words in
Matthew 24:13: “He who endures to the end shall be saved.” A
significant way we can endure to the end is by not allowing an
offense to corrupt and harden our heart. Every time we are
affronted by someone or something, we have an opportunity to
choose between staying offended or extending forgiveness
and releasing our resentment, thereby maturing spiritually and
emotionally.
I know many former church leaders who were precious
servants of God until they allowed a certain offense to enter
their heart, and they were not mature enough to deal with the
affront in a proper and constructive way. Those believers went
back to the ways of the world, and, today, they are suffering
the consequences: They are slaves to sin, suffering from
sickness, and mourning the destruction of their family—to
name just a few of their conditions. The offense they could not
let go of became their stumbling block and downfall. Their
heart fell into the enemy’s trap of offense, becoming
contaminated. Let us always keep our eyes on Christ, trusting
Him in each situation and keeping our heart pure and soft by
yielding to God and forgiving others.
Whenever we are affronted, we have an opportunity to choose
between staying offended or extending forgiveness and
 maturing spiritually and emotionally.
In the following account, a man named Paul describes how he
was freed from an offended heart. He writes, “I was a young
man in search of the pleasures of this world, and I ended up
spending a year and a half in prison. During that time, I met
Jesus but did not surrender my life to Him. I also had some
supernatural experiences that demonstrated the reality of the
spiritual world—the reality of God as well as of demons.
“When I completed my sentence, I was released from prison,
but it was difficult to find a job. Consequently, I returned to my
old habits. At the time, my grandfather was very ill. We prayed
for him, but he still died. I felt horrible for all the suffering that
my behavior had caused him, but I continued to take drugs and
to be involved with witchcraft and fortune-telling because I
wanted to understand my grandfather’s death. At one point, I
cursed God for my life, saying, ‘A God who loves would never
have allowed this to happen. Why should I continue to trust
Him?’
“Meanwhile, my relationship with my wife slowly deteriorated.
I tried going to church again, and I found a job; however, on
the same day I was hired, someone called to tell me that my
mother had cancer. I traveled to see her and prayed for her. I
told her that everything would be all right, but she died that
same day. That was a very hard experience for me. I felt pain
and anger, and I wanted to abandon everything.
“My wife and children told me about King Jesus church and
asked me to attend. I was lost and had no place to go, so I
agreed. I needed something that would change me forever.
There, the Lord touched me. I opened my heart to Him, and He
healed it. Now, I am a changed man, and I serve Him by telling
people of the great things that He has done for me.”
The Root of Holding On to Offenses Is Immaturity
Being easily offended and remaining offended are prime
characteristics of a person who is spiritually and emotionally
immature. Some people choose to live in perpetual immaturity
because they will not let go of an offense. As a result, they
bind themselves to that offense, and it controls their lives. We
must realize—for our own sake and for the sake of others—that
immature people are easily deceived and are inclined to fall
prey to false doctrine. Paul wrote, “We should no longer be
children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of
deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14).
The following characteristics are evident in those who are
spiritually and emotionally immature. Immature people…
are easily offended by others.
are easily deceived by others.
are insecure.
are dominated by their emotions.
fail to exercise self-control.
become offended when they are corrected.
become offended when they are held accountable
for their responsibilities and their wrongs.
are double-minded.
 are unable to exercise effective leadership
because they reproduce their immaturity in
others.
In contrast, we develop maturity when we learn how to deal
well with offenses, addressing them in a biblical manner. If we
fail to do this, we will suffer some or all of the costs of
maintaining an offended heart outlined below.
As we mature, the trap of offense loses its power over us.
Costs of Maintaining an Offended Heart
1. Offended People Will Often Withdraw from Others,
Sometimes Becoming Recluses
Holding on to an offense hinders people’s spiritual growth
because they revert to being controlled by the sinful nature—
to the way they conducted themselves before they knew
Christ. They find refuge in old behaviors because they have
stopped advancing in maturity and have withdrawn their heart
from God and other people. They close themselves off and hide
in their pain. Therefore, they no longer show much emotion or
open up to other people, and they are afraid to develop new
relationships. This is a dangerous place to be in because when
Satan finds someone isolated from the rest of the body of
Christ, he implements a plan of attack to push him into a
spiritual decline that is sometimes difficult to reverse, so that it
ends in spiritual death. Please, don’t fall for the trap of offense!
2. Offended People Exclude Themselves from the Flow
of Life
People who are withdrawn from others, as described above,
experience a loss of freedom by excluding themselves from the
normal flow of life and its activities—whether the life of a
family, a church, a business, or another organization. If this
happens to someone who is a member of a church, he may no
longer feel that he is a part of the body of believers or that he
shares the church’s vision. He may still give tithes and/or
offerings to the church, but he does not participate in its life.
He may have a gift or talent that would be beneficial to share
with other believers, but he does not feel at liberty to do so. He
will likely experience a cooling in his relationships with others,
because he doesn’t support the activities they are interested in
or participate in them. In addition, he may find it difficult to
pray and to worship God in a corporate setting.
Consequently, the following pattern may develop in his life:
He may continually refuse to be integrated into the body of
believers, even when invited to do so. He may choose to sit in
the farthest seat at the back of the church so that he can
observe everything that goes on without being noticed by
very many people, internally criticizing anything negative that
occurs. He may continue to construct a thick wall between
himself and others—a barrier of offenses, errors,
misunderstandings, and so forth. He may still attend church for
years to come out of a sense of obligation, but he will have
isolated himself from the flow of God’s Spirit and the joys of
human fellowship.

3. Offended People Employ Defense

Mechanisms
 In accordance with his self-imposed isolation, an offended
person will enter any new relationship with a barricade around
his heart. Because he has never worked through past offenses,
he places himself on constant guard to repel any attack (real or
perceived) from other people against his self-esteem, personal
rights, and integrity as a human being. To protect himself, he
has developed defense mechanisms, such as mistrust,
prejudice, negativity, and a judgmental attitude.
Those who employ emotional defense mechanisms inevitably
hinder their personal relationships. For example, when a couple
is preparing to marry, it is important for each one to be
transparent with the other and to discuss the hurts and
disappointments he or she has experienced in the past,
because many people carry around burdens of pain or guilt
from which they need to be healed. These issues can be
addressed in premarital counseling sessions with a mature
pastor or other church leader or by a Christian counselor. If the
pain or guilt is not dealt with, sooner or later, it will surface in
the life of that person through negative words or behavior,
often directed toward the spouse. In some way or another, the
spouse will inevitably be affected, and the relationship may
become damaged or broken.
In another example, suppose a pastor desires to develop
leaders for his church from among the members of his
fellowship. That pastor will be significantly impeded from
fulfilling his purpose if he has constructed a barricade around
his heart as a reaction to prior offenses. Because those who
have unresolved offenses often mistrust other people, the
pastor may find it difficult to mentor potential leaders because
of a deep-seated fear that other people will fail him or betray
him. As a result, he won’t be able to nurture potential leaders,
delegate tasks to other people, or otherwise give others
authority to act in his place.
Over the years, I have raised up many leaders, a number of
whom eventually betrayed me in some way. Their behavior
deeply offended me because I didn’t expect that of them.
However, I had to forgive them. Otherwise, I never would have
been able to mentor additional leaders. Each time, God healed
my heart, so that I have been able to raise up thousands of
leaders from around the world to build the body of Christ and
to expand the kingdom of God.
4. Offended People Conform to Their Hurt, Creating a
Lifestyle of Pain
Often, an affronted person will unconsciously begin to
transform the feelings of offense that caused him to become
spiritually and emotionally damaged into a lifestyle of pain. As
he constructs his wall of separation from others and equips
himself with defense mechanisms, he gets used to his new
isolated lifestyle. After a while, he “embodies” his feelings of
offense—he becomes a “city” of pain fortified by high
defensive walls, so that everything he thinks or does from that
point forward is generated from that place—that identity—of
pain. He refuses to trust others or to open up his heart to them.
He may also decline to invest his time and money in worthy
purposes because he is unwilling to risk new disappointments
or hurts in relation to them. He has become conditioned to, and
remade by, his negative experience, so that now he is always
subject to pain, unable to attain real happiness.
 A person with an offended heart may allow the emotional
pain of an affront to become an excuse for refusing to function
in certain areas of his life.
The story of a young woman named María who attends our
church is a vivid example of how a person can build a lifestyle
of pain due to offenses—but then be set free in Jesus! She
writes, “I was born in Cuba. My life was in danger even before
I was born because my mother wanted to abort me. Moreover,
while she was still pregnant with me, she had an accident in
which she fell down three flights of stairs but did not lose me.
Because I survived, after I was born, she offered my life to the
service of the saints in a religion called Santería.
“Years later, my father found a way to bring us to the United
States to live. When I was nine years old, I was introduced to
the world of the streets. I was exposed to gangs, parties,
alcohol, sexual activity, drugs, robbery of homes, abuse, police
persecution, and more. During my childhood, my experience at
school was horrible. Other children mocked me, causing me to
feel anger and hate in my heart and to want vengeance.
“When I was fourteen, my mother moved us away to take me
out of that environment, not knowing that things were only
going to get worse in the new place. I joined a gang, went to
nightclubs, ran away from home, drank alcohol without
restraint, used hard drugs, and never attended classes. I tried
to commit suicide three times. I suffered two drug overdoses,
was involved in major sexual activity with young men and
women alike, and practiced Wicca. I thought I had the world
under my feet, but the truth was that I was a slave to sin and of
the one who produces it.
 “By age seventeen, I had met the ‘perfect’ man. He told me
that he was twenty-one years old and that he had fallen in love
with me at first sight. His personality was captivating. He was a
smooth talker, and his understanding manner made me fall in
love with him, so I gave him my innocence. In time, I realized
that it was all a lie—he was thirty years old and had three
children. Even then, I wanted to marry him. But because our
relationship was a lie, it led me to feel great hatred toward men.
I felt that my life made no sense.
“However, in the midst of that dark night, I had two parents
who prayed for me, for they had turned to Christ a few years
earlier. One day, I attended a miracle crusade of evangelist
Benny Hinn, and I said to God, ‘If I am Yours, do something
before I leave.’ At that moment, my bones began to tremble. I
started to cry uncontrollably, and, even though I didn’t
understand what was happening, I felt so good! The Holy
Spirit had descended upon my life. Later that night, I was set
free and transformed. I let go of my old lifestyle and became a
new creation.
“Almost six years have passed, and I am blessed. I have
identity and purpose. Above all, I am very in love with Jesus.
Never in my life would I have believed that this was going to
happen to me. I am living the best days of my life. If God did it
for me, He can certainly do it for you.”
If you, too, have conformed your life to past hurts and have
created a lifestyle of pain, you can be set free though the
power of God’s Holy Spirit as you give up your offenses,
forgive others, and receive God’s forgiveness and grace
through Christ.
5. Offended People Cannot Receive the Anointing of God
I have experienced the manifest presence of God and have
ministered under that presence, and there have been times
when I have laid hands on people and felt the anointing return
to me as if it had collided against a wall. That is a sign of a
heart that has been closed due to offenses and is therefore
unable to receive God’s anointing or experience the
transformation that the anointing works in the inner being.
Likewise, I have preached messages in the power of the Holy
Spirit that have transformed the lives of thousands of people in
attendance, while others who were present in the same place
and under the same anointing continued to have problems in
their finances, family, health, or another area. I believe they
experienced no change because, when the anointing fell and
the Word was preached, they couldn’t enter into that anointing
or remain in it due to an offense (or offenses) that had
contaminated their heart. Similarly, if a person holds on to an
offense against a leader who is his God-given authority, he
shouldn’t expect to inherit the anointing of that leader
someday, because no one can carry the anointing of a vessel
of God that he did not honor and has perhaps even rejected.
6. Offended People Are Prevented from Reaching Their
Purpose and Destiny
When a believer is offended, he does not live in the eternal
“present” of God but rather dwells in the past—he remains
trapped in the moment when he took offense. In this state, it is
impossible for him to fulfill his God-given purpose. Let’s look
at the Old Testament example of Moses, who had a glorious
ministry. By God’s power, Moses did extraordinary miracles,
including supernaturally freeing hundreds of thousands of
Israelites from Egyptian slavery and leading them toward the
Promised Land.
But, one day, he became offended by the people because of
their unbelief. His offense was justifiable. He had every right to
feel righteous anger. The Israelites were in the Wilderness of
Zin (see Numbers 20:1), and the Scriptures tell us, “Now there
was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together
against Moses and Aaron.…Then Moses lifted his hand and
struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out
abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank”
(Numbers 20:2, 11).
The patriarch made several mistakes during this incident. First,
his action was motivated by the offense. He did not obey the
instructions of the Lord, who had told him to speak to the rock
—not to strike it—so that water would flow from it. (See
Numbers 20:8.) Years earlier, God had told Moses to strike a
rock in order to bring forth water for the people (see Exodus
17:1–7), but that was not His instruction this time. We must
always heed what God is saying to us in the present. Second,
Moses erred by indicating to the people that he himself would
perform the miracle: “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring
water for you out of this rock?” (Numbers 20:10). And third, he
operated the power of God in anger rather than in
righteousness and truth.
Tragically, when Moses sinned after taking offense at the
people’s rebellion, it cost him his entry into the Promised Land.
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did
not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of
Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land
which I have given them’” (Numbers 20:12).
Moving to the New Testament, let us look at the case of the
rich young ruler who went to Jesus because he wanted to
know how to attain heaven or to find out what else he must do
in order to earn it. He missed his opportunity to enter the
kingdom of God and follow Jesus because of corruption in his
heart that caused him, in a sense, to become offended with
Jesus’ reply, so that he rejected God’s will for his life.
[The rich young ruler asked Jesus,] “Good Teacher, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”…[Jesus] said to
him, “…You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit
adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false
witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your
mother.’” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all
these things I have kept from my youth.” Then Jesus, looking
at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go
your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the
cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went
away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Mark 10:17–
22)
That young man turned away from Jesus because the love of
money had become his master—it had taken over his heart.
Christ stood before the young man as El Shaddai, a Hebrew
term that indicates “the One who is more than enough.”
Therefore, if the young man had given up all that he had, God
would have become more than enough to him. But his wealth
blinded him. The challenge from Jesus tested the condition of
his heart and measured how much he was really willing to
surrender to God—and what his limit was.
If the young man had given up all his wealth, Christ would
have returned it to him a hundredfold. Directly after this
incident, Jesus said to Peter,
Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or
lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a
hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and
sisters and mothers and children and lands, with
persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. (Mark
10:29–30)
If it offends you to give to God, then it should also offend you
to receive from Him.
Whatever you give to God’s kingdom, the Lord will return to
you 100 percent. The rich young ruler believed that what he
owned belonged to him, but the truth is that we human beings
are just stewards of everything God gives us; we are the
administrators of His goods. However, if our heart becomes
corrupted by a love of money, we will not give our resources to
the Lord as an act of worship. Instead, we will use our money
to gratify our sinful nature. We will allow our love of money to
exert power over us, and it will define our life—it will define us.
To keep our heart from becoming corrupted in this way, we
must seek God first in our life, surrendering to Him and
exercising self-control over what we do with our money and the
way in which we spend it, so that we can invest our finances in
His kingdom and toward other positive purposes.
 Some people become offended when they are asked to support
various ministries of their church, to make a donation to help
the poor, to fund relief efforts to assist those who are victims
of a natural disaster, or to do anything else that may not be to
their personal profit or give them pleasure. Yet they aren’t
offended when they receive a bill requiring a car payment on
their luxury automobile, when they are handed their receipt
after purchasing expensive clothes or fashion accessories, or
when they must pay admission to a sports event or another
form of entertainment.
If an individual is insulted when someone teaches from the
Bible about financial stewardship, the likely reason is that the
person considers his true “god” to be under attack. I have seen
people leave a church service just before the offering is
collected. Their behavior indicates that having money is their
priority. They are not concerned with being a steward of God’s
resources; rather, they believe they personally own the
resources God has provided for them.
If God has blessed you with financial resources, I believe that
you and your family should be able to enjoy them; however,
your first priority should be God and the expansion of His
kingdom. (See Matthew 6:33.) There are many people who,
having received abundant financial blessing from God after
they were delivered from the curse of poverty—and after they
learned that the key to prosperity is to sow finances into the
work of God’s kingdom—stopped giving to God once their
finances prospered! Why? Probably because it hadn’t been
difficult for them to give God a tithe of their income when it
amounted to $100 a week, but it became very difficult for them
when the tithe totaled thousands of dollars. The true condition
of their heart was revealed when they ceased to be faithful in
their tithes and offerings, and when they placed a limit on what
they were willing to give God. Accordingly, those people
should not be offended if God puts a limit on His provision for
them. We cannot expect God to pour out abundance on us
while we give Him our “leftovers.”
7. Offended People May Be Removed from God’s Presence
When the first human beings sinned, God was offended—in a
holy sense. His righteousness was offended by their sin and
betrayal. It was necessary for Him to expel them from His
presence; yet, at the same time, He announced His plan of
redemption for humanity through Jesus Christ. Whenever we
commit sin—including the transgression of holding on to an
offense—we need to be restored to a right relationship with
our heavenly Father. We can be assured of that restoration as
we accept Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf and receive
forgiveness through Him. “If anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He
Himself is the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1–2).
We must release any offenses we are holding on to, because
we cannot remain in God’s presence with offenses in our heart!
The reason some people do not feel the nearness of God is that
they have been trying to present themselves to Him while, at
the same time, they are harboring offenses. Sometimes, they
aren’t even aware that they are doing so. This is a primary
reason why we must regularly monitor the condition of our
heart according to God’s Word and allow His Spirit to convict
us of sin so that our heart may be transformed.
 Always remember that you have full access to redemption in
Jesus Christ. Do not isolate yourself from God’s grace, which
enables you to be forgiven by Him, to be restored to Him, and
to begin anew in Him. Additionally, because we have been
forgiven and reconciled to God in Christ, we, too, can forgive
others who have offended us, and we can seek reconciliation
with them, because His grace works in us “both to will and to
do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
The Solution for Offenses
Because offenses are inevitable in our fallen world but are also
opportunities for us to discern the state of our heart, the
healthiest thing for us to do when we are offended is to deal
with the issue immediately. Therefore, right now—before any
new offense occurs—make a conscious decision that you will
forgive anyone who offends you in the future, and that you
will pursue reconciliation with anyone whom you offend in the
future. If you neglect to do this, your relationships will be weak
—and brief.
The following steps, which are based on what we have
discussed in this chapter, will enable you to be liberated from
the trap of offense.

1. Confess Your Offenses

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one
another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer
of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). To be free of
offenses, confession is necessary—first, confession to God;
and, second, confession to those whom we have offended and
those who have offended us. If we are truly contrite, we should
express our repentance. So, begin by confessing before God
that you have held on to offenses in your heart,
acknowledging that they are sins against Him and other
people. Only through confession can the process of healing
begin in your heart.
2. Ask God to Forgive You, and Forgive Those Who Have
Offended You
It is important not only to confess our offenses but also to ask
God to forgive us for them and to forgive ourselves and others
for the offenses that have been committed. If we don’t go
beyond confessing the offenses in our heart, our “confession”
may turn into a bitter complaint, serving only to verbalize our
resentment but not heal it. Forgiveness is the antidote that will
bring healing. So, again, we should ask God and others to
forgive us for our offenses, and we should forgive everyone
who has ever offended us.
We should practice forgiveness as a lifestyle.
3. Die to “Self” and the Sinful Nature
If we want to progress to greater dimensions of God’s power
and glory, we must give up our self-centeredness that demands
a right to compensation and/or vengeance when a wrong has
been committed against us. To be “dead to self” means that we
withhold nothing from God; He is the Lord of our heart, soul,
mind, strength, finances—everything! We no longer belong to
ourselves but to Him.
In addition, we must die to the sinful nature by not letting it
control us but rather allowing the life of Christ and God’s Holy
Spirit to direct our thoughts and empower our actions:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself for me.…Those who are Christ’s have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let
us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 2:20; 5:24–25)
When you have died to your sinful nature, you will no longer
be easily offended; you will not be affronted by trivial matters.
When you have died to self, you will have released your self-
absorption, surrendering your life to your loving Creator and
His purposes. You will know that, when a true offense occurs,
God will ultimately bring about justice in the circumstance
and/or use the offense for good in your life. “And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans
8:28).

4. Commit to Maturity
It is time to leave immaturity behind so that we may grow
stronger, spiritually and emotionally. As we mature, those
offenses that used to gnaw at our inner being will no longer
find a way to stay within our heart. We will consider it
irrelevant and unnecessary to spend time on such matters, not
wanting to risk the health of our soul for the sake of a mere
offense. We will have the love and patience to understand that
those who offend us must travel the road toward maturity, just
as we must.
The following is the story of Kenneth, who constructed and
maintained a barrier against God for years before receiving
deliverance and the healing of his heart. Kenneth writes, “In
1997, I was working in a chemical plant in New Jersey when I
was in an accident that almost took my life. I was trapped
inside a machine for six hours. One of my arms suffered serious
damage, and a tube pierced my chest. When I was rescued, the
doctors and other emergency personnel couldn’t believe that I
had survived.
“What is certain is that while I was inside the machine, I kept
hearing a voice that said, ‘Give up. God doesn’t love you! You
were always a nice person; there is no reason for Him to do this
to you. If you surrender now, the pain will go away.’ Then I
heard a second voice say to me, ‘If God wanted to kill you, He
would have done it by now. Giving up is your decision.’ It was
then that I decided not to give up, but I still felt that God was
unfair, and I was very angry with Him. For a long time, I chose
not to speak to Him because of all the years of suffering I
endured after the accident, during which I underwent thirteen
surgeries and physical therapy.
“One day, my cousin invited me to King Jesus church, and I
decided to receive the Lord as my Savior. In 2006, I moved to
Florida to begin a new life, and there all my dreams came true. I
studied for a career in criminal justice. I also met my wife, who
attended King Jesus church, and I began to attend the church,
too. One day, during worship at a prayer meeting in someone’s
house, a brother saw a wall tumbling down all around me. I had
seen that wall as it was being built, many years earlier, and it
kept me from communicating with the Lord—until that day.
From that point on, I have been able to talk to God.
“In 2008, my wife was diagnosed with myosarcoma of the
uterus. Two oncologists said the uterus had to be removed,
but we believed that God had other plans, so we did not allow
it. We had faith in God, and, not long afterward, my wife
became pregnant and gave birth to our beautiful daughter. God
healed my heart and gave me a full life.”
Prayer to Forgive
An offense is a trap of the enemy designed to hurt us and to
isolate us—separating our heart from God and damaging our
relationships with other people. Offenses will hinder our ability
to advance God’s kingdom in the world and will encumber our
progress in life. I invite you to be liberated from offenses as
you allow God to remove the emotional torture you suffer from
living in a prison of mistrust, anger, fear, and confusion. Repeat
the following simple but powerful prayer. But don’t pray it just
once. Pray it every day, so that the truths of God’s revelation
concerning offenses may be established in your life.
Heavenly Father, I come into Your presence today as Your
child. I acknowledge and confess that I have kept offenses and
wounds in my heart. I repent of this practice, and I turn away
from it. Right now, I forgive everyone who has ever offended
me, and I ask You to forgive me for my offenses.
I also die to “self,” including the attitude of self-absorption
that seeks retribution or vengeance when I am offended. I make
a conscious decision to die to my sinful nature so that the life
of Christ and God’s Holy Spirit may direct my thoughts and
empower my actions.
I commit to move to the next level of maturity. What used to
offend me will no longer offend me. I will not remain a spiritual
“infant” but will grow in grace and become more like Christ.
Help me to walk in love and to have a forgiving heart toward
my family members, my friends, and my brothers and sisters in
Christ. Remove every offense, wound, and pain from me. Make
me free! I receive Your forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. In
the name of Jesus, amen!
Now that you have prayed this prayer, be sure to follow it up
with an act of faith that confirms your commitment. Talk to
someone whom you have offended, or who offended you, and
do what you can to restore the relationship through
forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
6
 Freedom from a Heart of Unbelief

God has given me the privilege and blessing of proclaiming

the gospel in more than fifty countries around the world. I have
preached to people of various cultures, races, languages, ages,
and social strata. Over the years, I have found two things in
common among these varied groups of people: (1) they all have
the same human needs; and (2) the greatest obstacle to their
receiving salvation, healing, miracles, or any other blessing
from God is the presence of unbelief in their heart. Many
people struggle to believe in God, His nature, and/or His
power. Their difficulty reminds me of the man in the New
Testament who sought deliverance for his son, telling the Lord
Jesus, “I believe” (Mark 9:24) yet immediately adding, “Help
my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). In effect, what the man was saying
was, “I believe, but I find it very hard to do!”
Struggling with Faith
Perhaps you have experienced the same struggle to believe
God. For example, is it hard for you to have faith for the
salvation of your family? Do you find it challenging to believe
that God will provide for your material needs? Is it difficult for
you to perceive God as your Healer and Deliverer—and to
receive Him as such? Do you wrestle with doubts that God
exists? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the
reason might be that, even though you may have a general
faith in Christ for salvation, some unbelief is still entrenched in
your heart, and this lack of faith holds you back from living in
true freedom and receiving the spiritual and physical blessings
that God desires to give you.
Unbelief Is a “Departure from the Living God”
In chapter 4, we noted that unbelief is one of the causes of a
hardened heart. The Scriptures say, “Beware, brethren, lest
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing
from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Many people attempt to
address unbelief from the standpoint of their mind alone. Yet
unbelief is not so much a condition of the mind as it is a
condition of the heart that influences the mind—its intellect,
reason, and thoughts. Just as in the case of holding on to
offenses, unbelief will cause our heart to harden, preventing us
from believing what God has said and from receiving His
promises and provision. And, a hardened heart subsequently
produces further unbelief.
Throughout this book, we have seen that every aspect of our
life originates in the heart. Whether we are praying,
worshipping, fellowshipping, serving others, caring for our
children, managing our home, working at our job, participating
in sports or hobbies, or anything else—who we are and what
we do comes from our heart. If our heart is full of unbelief,
many of our endeavors will be in vain. In spiritual matters, we
will be functioning according to “religion,” which, as we have
seen, is merely an appearance of piety that lacks true power.
Works that are not birthed by faith are ultimately dead works.
(See James 2:17.) When we “[depart] from the living God” in
unbelief, our heart becomes corrupted, negatively affecting our
life. Yet, the more we deal with the issues of our heart and allow
God to transform us, the more evidence we will see of His
healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, and joy in our life.
Unbelief causes the heart to harden, and a hardened heart
produces further unbelief.
The Origin of Unbelief
One of the Greek terms translated as “unbelief” in the New
Testament is a p istia . This word includes the following
meanings: “faithlessness, i.e. disbelief (lack of Christian faith),
or unfaithfulness (disobedience).” Apistia is derived from
another Greek word that means “disbelieving” and indicates
“without Christian faith (especially a heathen),” or an
“untrustworthy person.” From these definitions, we may
conclude that unbelief signifies more than a mere intellectual
absence of belief—it can signal a heart of unfaithfulness
toward God and His Word. It can demonstrate a disloyalty in
which we doubt the nature and character of our loving,
powerful, and righteous God.
Doubting God Is the Root of Unbelief—and Subsequent
Disobedience
Before the fall, the first human beings lived like trusting
children; they accepted what God told them without question
or argument. They weren’t contaminated by sin, so their heart,
soul, and body, while living in the natural world, functioned
according to the life of the supernatural realm—above and
beyond the physical realm. They didn’t struggle with a mind-
set of doubt leading to perpetual sickness, poverty,
oppression, and so forth, as many human beings today do.
We know that the disobedience of the first man and woman
occurred when they questioned the truth of God’s words but
believed the lies of Satan. In chapter 3, we talked about the
importance of having both trust and belief in our heart toward
God. Adam and Eve allowed the enemy to undermine both of
these crucial heart elements, leading to their act of
unfaithfulness to their Creator.
Throughout Scripture, we see that many people who were
disobedient to God first exhibited unbelief, and the same
situation occurs today. When our faith is active, we are faithful
and obedient to God, because we trust in His plans for our
good, and we know that obeying Him will bring positive results
in our life. In contrast, when our faith is inactive, we can
become unfaithful, hardhearted, and disobedient toward God.
When our heart is hard, God cannot trust us to pursue His will
and to be good stewards of what He has given us. If you
identify unfaithfulness, hardheartedness, and disobedience in
your heart, a spirit of unbelief may be at the root of them.
The Fallen Mind Questions God
The Scriptures say that God placed two distinct trees in the
garden of Eden. “And out of the ground the Lord God made
every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for
food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9).
And Adam and Eve violated the following commandment,
which God had instituted for their good: “Of every tree of the
garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it
you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16–17).
I believe that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
represents natural, mental, and sensorial (relating to the five
senses) knowledge—involving the intellect and reason. This
level of knowledge operates purely in the physical realm, or the
material world. When human beings fell by partaking of the
fruit of that tree in disobedience, their spirit withered and
receded, and their mind began to rely only on reason and
intellect, which are not adequate for understanding or
discerning the supernatural realm. They “[fell] short of the
glory of God” (see Romans 3:23) and thereby fell short of the
supernatural knowledge and eternal perspective they formerly
had through their vital connection with God and close
relationship with Him.
The intellect and reason are God-given gifts to human beings
to enable them to function in the physical world, but, again,
they are not sufficient on their own. Additionally, when the
intellect and reason are detached from God by the curse of sin
and are controlled by the sinful nature, they are woefully
flawed. The fallen mind, devoid of supernatural knowledge and
wisdom, will doubt the existence and power of God and
question His purposes. The fallen mind often becomes hostile
to God, or “anti-God.” “But the natural man does not receive
the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him;
nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
In contrast, God’s supernatural knowledge and wisdom
operate not in the mind but in the heart—in the spirit of a
person who has been made alive through Jesus Christ by the
Holy Spirit. (See John 3:5.) If a believer’s heart is hardened by
unbelief, it demonstrates that he has, in some way, not fully
turned away from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and
is “feeding” on it rather than on Jesus, the “bread of life”
(John 6:35, 48). If we find this to be our condition, we need to
repent, allowing God to soften our heart and to fill us with the
“spirit of faith” (2 Corinthians 4:13), so that we may enter into
full faith and complete trust in our heavenly Father and receive
all that He desires to give us.
Until a person is free of an unbelieving heart, he will not be
able to understand spiritual, or supernatural, realities.
Three Types of Unbelief
As I have studied the Scriptures, I have identified three
different ways in which people can manifest unbelief. Let us
explore these ways, examining our own heart to see how
unbelief may be influencing us.

1. Unbelief Caused by Ignorance

Ignorance is a basic level of unbelief that all human beings
inherit as a result of the fall. For example, the apostle Paul
persecuted Christians before he encountered Jesus on the road
to Damascus and was converted. Concerning that time in his
life, he wrote, “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a
persecutor, and an insolent [“violent” niv] man; but I obtained
mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13).
It is not just unbelievers but also believers who can fall into
unbelief out of ignorance. I think that many of those who
genuinely know Christ but work against Him and His purposes
do so out of ignorance rather than wickedness. For instance,
when they have not yet learned how God’s Word applies to a
particular realm of life, or to a specific area of their own life,
many believers will make mistakes and/or fall into error. All of
us have done this at one point or another. Some Christians may
remain sick because they don’t know that Christ has already
paid for their illness on the cross (see Isaiah 53:5), or because
they don’t understand God’s principles for receiving healing
(see, for example, James 5:14–16). God forgives this type of
unbelief, according to His mercy. As Paul wrote, “I obtained
mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13).

2. Unbelief Caused by Rebellion in

the Heart
“And to whom did [God] swear that they would not enter His
rest, but to those who did not obey? So we see that they could
not enter in because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:18–19). Rebellion
is a form of disobedience to God that is characterized by a
decision not to believe in Him or trust in His Word. A
rebellious person raises his fist against the Creator of the
universe and says, “I don’t believe in You, and I don’t need
You in my life. I can live independently of You. I will live my
own way.”
Due to their hardheartedness, rebellious people decide of their
own free will not to believe God but to doubt and reject His
promises and provisions, including salvation, protection,
healing, and deliverance. Their hardheartedness is often a
result of their having experienced rejection, betrayal, abuse, or
some other difficulty or suffering at the hands of another
person or persons. For example, when the Israelites were
delivered by God from slavery in Egypt, they witnessed His
miracles, signs, and wonders in the desert. The Lord fed them
every day with supernatural bread called “manna.” (See
Exodus 16:14–15, 31.) Twice, when the people had no water,
God quenched their thirst by causing water to pour from a rock.
(See Exodus 17:5–6; Numbers 20:8–11.) Their clothes and
sandals never wore out. (See Deuteronomy 29:5.) The Lord’s
presence was with them during the day in a “pillar of cloud”
that led the way and also protected them from the heat of the
sun, as well as during the night in a “pillar of fire” that
provided light for them to travel and protected them from the
nighttime cold. (See Exodus 13:21–22.) And God did many
other miracles on their behalf.
Yet, even with all the demonstrations of God’s provision,
protection, and care, the Israelites frequently chose, in open
acts of rebellion, not to believe Him. Consequently, the
generation that was delivered from Egypt never entered into
the Promised Land—only their descendants did, with the
exception of faithful Joshua and Caleb. I believe the reason is
that the hearts of the people had been hardened by the slavery
they had suffered under all their lives, and they did not release
that hardness of heart to the Lord so that He could heal it.
Similarly, many Christians today refuse to believe God, even
though He has shown them His love and grace. The Lord has
been extraordinarily good to us! He has saved us eternally
through His Son Jesus Christ; and He has loved us, provided
for us, protected us, and healed us. Many of us have seen Him
perform remarkable works in our own life, in the lives of our
family members, among the people in our church, and in our
community. We have seen, heard, and experienced His
supernatural power—yet we still doubt! Such unbelief in the
midst of God’s goodness may be a sign of a rebellious heart.
As we discussed in an earlier chapter, when an individual
chooses not to believe in what God has promised, he is, in
essence, calling God a liar. Calling someone a liar is one of the
worst of insults. How do you think God feels when we
disrespect Him by refusing to believe Him?
Rebellion is a decision not to believe in God or trust in His
Word.
A heart of unbelief can take over a person’s life. “For as [a
person] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). An
unbelieving heart paves its own way. It relies on its own
judgment, while rejecting God’s wisdom. Each decision we
make in our own strength and ability alone is a sign of our
faithlessness and our independence from God. Generally, I
have found that when an individual lives independently of
God, he ends in failure. If he eventually seeks God, it is when
life turns against him and he reaches rock bottom, having lost
everything he once valued.
When a person has a hard heart of unbelief, God will
sometimes allow certain adverse situations to take place in his
life—situations that go beyond his control, leaving him
powerless to fix them—because that is the only way to break
down his hardheartedness, prompting the individual to humble
himself and to surrender to the Lord so that he may be saved
and delivered.
Any lack of faith toward God produces negative
consequences—sometimes terrible ones—in a person’s life.
Some people think they can continue to live in rebellion against
God and His Word without suffering any consequences, but
the Scriptures are clear that those who persist in unbelief will
ultimately be punished. Living in rebellion has a price in this
life and in the one to come—eternal separation from God in
hell: “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers,
sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone,
which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Carefully review
the above list of those who will keep the “unbelieving”
company in eternity. God judges unbelief as harshly as
idolatry, sorcery, and murder!
If God has been speaking to you through a family member,
friend, coworker, fellow student, or someone else about being
reconciled to Him and receiving Christ, don’t harden your
heart! Surrender it to God now and renounce your unbelief, so
you won’t end up in that place of torment.
Born-again children of God cannot remain indifferent to
unbelief in their heart, either. Nothing in our life or in our
relationship with Christ will have value if we don’t conduct
ourselves according to faith. (See Hebrews 11:6.) Be free of
unbelief! Paul wrote, “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2
Corinthians 5:7). Without faith, we will live only by sight,
which often causes us to fear the future. So, stop questioning
God, His Word, and His promises. Decide to believe Him now,
and He will fulfill what He has promised.
 A man named Roberto shared the following testimony about
his long-term physical infirmity and what happened when he
took a step of faith:
“When I was six years old, the needle of a syringe pierced my
left eye, causing it to hemorrhage greatly. I was taken to the
emergency room, where I was operated on immediately. To
save my eyeball, doctors cut the optical vein, leaving me blind
in that eye.
“I spent thirty-seven years blind in the left eye, and I had
grown used to it. All I could see out of the eye was a dark
shadow, so I often bumped into things when I walked. When I
went to get my driver’s license in order to drive an eighteen-
wheeler, I was given a restricted license that permitted me to
drive only during the day. This limited my opportunities at my
job.
“Though I believed in the power of God, I had simply accepted
my disability. But, one day, my friends invited me to a service
at King Jesus church. At some point, a call for healing was
made. I didn’t want to go forward, but my friends insisted.
Finally, I decided to go, and, once I was at the front, I closed
my eyes and heard Pastor Maldonado declare, ‘Blind eyes,
see!’ I then felt my hands go directly to my eyes, and,
instantly, I felt ‘fire’ burning me, and I fell to the floor under the
power of God. Suddenly, within me, I heard a voice that said,
You will see again . When I got up and opened my eyes, my
vision was clear and perfect. My left eye, through which I had
been able to see only a dark shadow, now registered the
splendor of light, people, and objects around me.
“Emotional, I shared my testimony with deep gratefulness to
God. I had stopped believing that God could heal me. I had
grown used to the idea of living semi-blind. Today, I feel like a
new man, and I know that God is the only One who could have
healed me because, according to medical science, regaining my
eyesight was impossible.”
Unbelief is the highest expression of disrespect and dishonor
toward God, because when we refuse to believe Him, we
essentially
call Him a liar.

3. Unbelief Caused by a Wicked

Spirit
The third type of unbelief is, effectively, an extension of the
previous one. Some people have practiced unbelief for so long
that they have opened the door for a demonic spirit of unbelief
—a wicked spirit from Satan—to corrupt their heart and take
control of them. When Jesus was asked by some religious
leaders if He was the Messiah, He confirmed that He was the
Son of God and said, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
The leaders protested, claiming that Jesus’ words were
blasphemy. In their stubbornness of heart, they missed the
signs that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah—and that He
was God in human form.
God the Father had audibly testified from heaven that Jesus
was His beloved Son (see, for example, Matthew 3:16–17), but
these religious leaders refused to believe it, and they became
God’s enemies. Similarly, today, many church leaders and other
Christians don’t fully acknowledge what it means for Christ to
be the Messiah, and they don’t believe that He still does
miracles for God’s people, putting them at odds with the
purposes and works of God.
Unbelief plagues the human race, and Satan would like to keep
it that way. When humanity disobeyed God in the garden, it
was as if the spirit of unbelief eagerly purchased shares in
hell’s stock market. When the Messiah came to earth to redeem
humanity, and the religious leaders and the people rejected Him
and cried out, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21; John
19:6), it was as if those shares went through the roof. However,
when Jesus was gloriously raised from the dead, the value of
those shares plummeted as Jesus “led captivity captive”
(Ephesians 4:8), freeing humanity from the grip of sin and
unbelief. Those who thought they had finally triumphed over
Jesus were defeated, being spiritually bankrupt.
If you invest your heart in disbelieving God and His Son
Jesus, you will lose your soul, because Jesus is the eternal
Conqueror. Yet, if you realize that a wicked spirit of unbelief
has been controlling your life, you can repent, renounce your
unbelief, receive Christ as your Savior and Lord, and then bind
and cast out the spirit of unbelief in the name of Jesus, so that
you can be delivered. Don’t risk your soul over unbelief!
We Have Been Taught Unbelief
Unbelief is a consequence of the fall that afflicts every human
being. Yet we are also taught—directly and indirectly—to
disbelieve God through the influence of our society, our
schools, and a number of our churches.
Our Cultural Mind-set Elevates Reason Above God
Generally, the Western mind-set attempts to explain life
through reason, logic, and science. In and of themselves, these
faculties are inadequate to deal with the whole man, which
consists of spirit, soul, and body. We are trained to doubt
whatever doesn’t fit neatly into the framework of the material
world—and that includes God, the spiritual realm, and God’s
supernatural power. In some cases, false spiritual and
supernatural beliefs are accepted, while the Bible and its
teachings about Jesus are frequently considered suspect.
In general, modern science has detached itself from faith in
God, so that it often dismisses whatever cannot be explained
through facts based on natural evidence alone. It may not
accept the reality of the spiritual world, so that it discards the
idea of it or classifies it as myth. Accordingly, it doubts any
spiritual phenomenon that cannot be understood through the
intellect; or, it considers that phenomenon to be irrelevant to
science, beyond the parameters of its inquiry.
Many people have made reason their god.
Furthermore, much of our modern educational system is
designed to train students’ intellect alone, teaching them mere
facts and information, and essentially ignoring their spirit.
Facts and information can be useful for living in a physical
world; for example, they enable us to function effectively under
the various laws and principles governing the natural realm, by
which our physical planet operates. And, education itself is
good—it is beneficial to learn how to analyze and to create, to
acquire information and facts, to prepare for a career, and to
gain skills that will enable us to prosper in life.
Yet, again, most of what is taught is meant only for the mind,
not the heart, even though spiritual and emotional subjects and
various creative functions cannot be addressed by the intellect
and reason alone. Regardless of the subject matter and the
realm to which it belongs—mental, physical, emotional, or
spiritual—our educational process usually filters concepts
solely through the intellect, thereby restricting the extent to
which the student can apply the teaching to his life and, most
important, limiting the student’s understanding of that subject
matter in relation to his Creator. Thus, many students live
without a concept of God, so that the modern educational
system has birthed “educated unbelief.”
Therefore, the mind-set of our culture and our educational
system has played a part in robbing us of the knowledge of
God and His supernatural revelation and power. The result is
that the hearts of many people have been corrupted by a lack
of faith or have even become controlled by unbelief. Knowing
this, those who are parents of school-age and college-age
children should exercise wisdom and prepare their sons and
daughters for attending school in such an environment, so
their children can learn to receive what is good in their
education and reject what is contrary to the Word of God. I
want to reemphasize that I am not saying that education itself
is bad. However, the spirit that operates behind most education
today is, in effect, anti-God.
The modern educational system has birthed “educated
unbelief.”
Some Denominations, Churches, and Pastors Deny
the Supernatural
In addition to being influenced by the scientific mind-set of
our culture and our reason-based educational system, believers
are often influenced to doubt God by the church itself—by
ministers, churches, and denominations within the body of
Christ. For example, a pastor may teach the doctrine of a
particular denomination that attests that supernatural miracles
were for the time of Jesus and His disciples alone and are not
available to us today. He does not affirm Jesus’ statement, “He
who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and
greater works than these he will do, because I go to My
Father” (John 14:12). Another pastor may teach that the
miracles recorded in the Bible did not really happen but are
“illustrations” of spiritual truths. The implication of these
pastors’ positions is that God “won’t” or “can’t” intervene
with His grace and power in our contemporary world.
What I think is happening is that a spirit of unbelief has taken
control in various churches, causing people to operate by
intellectual knowledge alone, rather than by revealed, or
spiritual, knowledge. To essentially state that something is
impossible for our all-powerful God, especially when He has
already demonstrated His ability to do it, is to contradict the
nature and character of God. A large portion of the church of
Jesus Christ today functions according to this mentality,
justifying its lack of power by erroneous doctrine that is
incapable of producing spiritual fruit that lasts. (See John 15:16
niv.) Therefore, many pastors do not experience God’s
supernatural power because the unbelief in their heart prevents
them—and subsequently their congregations—from doing so.
During the time Christ lived on the earth, a similar condition
existed in the Pharisees who imagined they were dedicating
themselves exclusively to the things of God but were merely
following religious rituals. Jesus compared them to
“whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27) because there was no
faith or life in their words. They taught the people unbelief
because they served only the letter of God’s Word but lacked
the Spirit of it. (See Romans 7:6.)
Who Has the Final Word?
As a result of the prevailing cultural mind-set, the educational
process, and erroneous religious belief, most people allow the
fields of science and medicine, as well as other realms of human
knowledge, to have the final word—and, often, the only word
—in their lives. If they are sick, they merely go to the doctor. If
they need money, they apply for a loan from a bank or go to a
finance company to reorganize and streamline their debt. If
their business is stagnant, they seek marketing, advertising,
and publicity strategies; new products; modern technology;
and so forth. If they have a child who is rebellious, they send
him to a psychologist. If they feel depressed, they take a
prescribed antidepressant.
If none of the above approaches is successful in addressing
their problem, they feel there is nothing left that can be done,
because they have been taught to depend solely on what
reason, medicine, and science can do. The cultural mind-set
and educational process have taught them what is possible
and impossible—according to natural, temporal, and physical
conditions. Their doctor may have told them that they have a
terminal illness and that there is no cure, so they have to
accept the diagnosis. Their reason then confirms that there’s
nothing left to be done. Or, their bank may have told them that
it is going to repossess their house, and their lawyer may have
explained that they have no alternative but to leave their home.
Their reason may tell them they have to admit to the
inevitability of the situation because they have “no way” to
come up with the money. Or, perhaps their marriage has been in
crisis mode for years, and they have begun to contemplate
divorce. The love between husband and wife has grown cold,
and neither marriage counselors nor psychologists have been
able to help the couple to find a solution. Therefore, they have
come to accept the idea that their marriage has ended, believing
that it is “impossible” for the relationship to improve.
Regardless of how much they might try, there is no way to
save it.
Many people who are faced with such situations do not think
of praying for healing, financial provision, or spiritual or
emotional deliverance—or of asking others to pray for a
miracle. But God dwells above and beyond human reason,
medicine, and science! Many medical and scientific resources
are excellent and enable us to enjoy good health and various
advancements and conveniences. However, they can never
substitute for the love and power that God our Creator wants
to give us. We have to make Christ our priority and turn to Him
first when we are in need. Jesus must be number one in our life,
not second (or third, or fourth, or fifth…). He doesn’t want to
be our last and desperate option “when all else fails.”
 Reason and science have established limits on what is
possible and what is impossible for us in this natural world.
When Jesus’ mother, Mary, was told by the angel Gabriel that
she would give birth to “the Son of the Highest” whose
kingdom would never end (see Luke 1:26–33), she asked, “How
can this be…?” (Luke 1:34). Many people today are asking the
same question regarding something God has promised. If Mary
—a pure young woman who loved God and found grace in His
presence to bring His Son into the world—could ask “How…?”
then we, also, will have times when we question God and His
ways. Yet the point is not that Mary asked how the angel’s
words could come to pass. The point is, after she received the
angel’s explanation—which was impossible according to
human reasoning—she trusted God fully and spoke from her
spirit, saying, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be
to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Now is the time for
you to follow Mary’s example and say to God, “Let it be to me
according to Your word,” allowing Him to work out the miracle
that you so desperately need.
The fallen human intellect doubts that physical healing or
other miracles could possibly take place, leading people to ask
questions such as these: “How could God do the
‘impossible’?” “How could God make me well when I have an
incurable disease?” “How could God restore my marriage when
my husband and I no longer love each other?” “How could
God cause my ex-husband to be a real father to our child when
he abandoned both me and our daughter many years ago?”
“How could God transform my grandchild’s rebellious heart so
that he will become obedient to his parents and begin to honor
them?”
We try to understand how God might be able to intervene in a
particular situation, and if we can’t come up with a rational
means by which it could be accomplished, we give way to
unbelief. So, the question “How?” becomes a stronghold of
unbelief in our life. God may not tell us “how” He will answer
our prayer or perform the miracle we need. He simply asks us to
trust that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26;
Mark 10:27). He can provide healing, financial blessings, and
renewed love—He knows “how” to do it! The only condition is
“If you can believe…” (Mark 9:23).
Jesus is all-powerful! “All authority has been given to [Him]
in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). “[God] put all
things under [Jesus’] feet, and gave Him to be head over all
things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22). We have limited God’s
abilities to what we can reason, forgetting that He is El
Shaddai, “the One who is more than enough”! When we
believe, we allow God to perform the miracle—when He wants
to do it and how He wants to do it.
Make the decision to remove all limitations you have placed
on God based on human reason.
When Emilse’s son was born, he suffered a loss of oxygen to
his brain, causing him to permanently lose hearing in his left
ear. At the age of five, he underwent surgery for an auditory
implant, yet the deafness continued. It was hard for Emilse to
believe in miracles after seeing her son’s condition—when not
even surgery had been enough. However, during a healing
crusade, I made a specific call for people who needed new ears.
Emilse and her son, who was then fourteen years old, came to
the front. A minister prayed for him and declared him healed.
Later, in a step of faith, the young man covered up his right ear,
and the minister stood behind him and clapped to see if he
would respond. He did! The power of God was present to heal,
and the boy’s ear was opened! He had spent fourteen years
without the ability to hear, but, in a matter of seconds, God did
an amazing miracle by His supernatural power when medical
science had no more answers.
Do You Have a Heart of Unbelief?
Can you break through the mental conditioning to which a
scientific mind-set, human reason, and religious doctrine have
submitted you? Of course you can! You can do so by entering,
through faith, into the realm of the supernatural, believing God
more than any illness, home repossession, broken relationship,
or other problem you may be facing. Humanly speaking, I will
not argue that some things seem impossible. But the natural
world and everything in it are subject to God’s sovereignty and
power. And so I ask you: Which report will you choose to
believe—man’s report or God’s?
To help you begin to break through unbelief and believe
God’s report, let’s review the characteristics of a heart of
unbelief so that you may examine your heart in relation to them.
1. A Heart of Unbelief Thinks According to the Natural
Realm Alone
As we have seen, human intellect or reason supports its
conclusions by facts alone, and reason has become the way
through which most people today determine what they think is
real and true. We have been conditioned to think in that way.
Yet, in our world, facts are constantly changing, while truth is
eternal—including the absolute truth that Jesus Christ and His
supernatural kingdom are real. The kingdom of God is a
superior reality to any human fact.
Remember that Jesus said to the man whose son was demon-
possessed, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him
who believes” (Mark 9:23). That’s when this father “cried out
and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark
9:24). According to our limited human knowledge and reason,
there are impossibilities in this world. However, Jesus said,
“With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all
things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

2. A Heart of Unbelief Resists

Change
As believers, we are meant to progress from one level of faith
to the next, and from one dimension of glory to another; we are
intended to be in a constant state of transformation into the
likeness of Christ. (See, for example, 2 Corinthians 3:18;
Ephesians 4:13.) Yet, a lack of faith in our heart will thwart that
transformation. When various challenges come our way as
opportunities to transform our heart and mind, we will reject
them if we are stuck in the past due to unbelief and have
become skeptics concerning our future.
Skepticism is “an attitude of doubt or a disposition to
incredulity either in general or toward a particular object.”
Often, a person whose heart has been hardened by betrayal,
abuse, or rebellion will turn skeptical, even when he sees the
power of God operating in the lives of others, or even if he has
experienced that power himself in the past. He finds it
impossible to believe that God would do something in his favor
today. If this is your situation, you need to resolve your
unbelief and reactivate the process of transformation that leads
you to Christlikeness and complete trust in God.

3. A Heart of Unbelief Blocks

Miracles
When we think according to a mind-set of reason alone, and
when we resist change, we will block miracles from occurring in
our life. Jesus went to His hometown of Nazareth for the
purpose of announcing the gospel of the kingdom and
manifesting miracles and wonders, just as He had done in the
other towns in which He had ministered. However, He was
unable to do much there except heal a few illnesses, because
His own family members, neighbors, and townspeople regarded
Him with a heart of unbelief. (See Mark 6:5–6.) “Now [Jesus]
did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief”
(Matthew 13:58).
As we have discussed, many people in the church today deny,
criticize, and/or reject demonstrations of God’s supernatural
power, such as miracles, healings, deliverances, the spiritual
gifts of the Holy Spirit, and so forth. In effect, their unbelief has
become “institutionalized,” so it seems illogical to them to seek
supernatural manifestations from God.
If you want to receive a miracle in your life today, renounce
any unbelief that is in your heart and then receive it! “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews
13:8)! Jesus did miracles yesterday, He does them today, and
He will continue to do them.
When doctors were unable to do anything to improve the
health of Marisol, who lives in Peru, her faith moved the hand
of God, and she received her miracle. Here is her testimony:
“When I was twenty years old, I fell down some stairs. The
same thing happened to me at age thirty-five. As a result, the
fifth lumbar vertebra in my spine lost its protective cartilage—a
condition that caused me great pain. I couldn’t sit down or
sleep sideways, and I dragged my leg when I walked. I tried
several alternatives for improvement, such as massages and
injections, but my condition only grew worse.
“I learned of Pastor Maldonado through his books and videos,
which people had loaned to me; the content of those books
and videos ministered to me greatly in deliverance. When I
learned that Pastor Maldonado would be traveling to Peru, I
felt that God was going to heal me through his ministry, and I
wanted to go to the event. My husband, seeing how much pain
I was in, didn’t know how to help me to get there. My friends
told me that it was better for me to go to the doctor, but I didn’t
want any more to do with doctors and medicine. I was
determined to believe God.
“The pain was intense, but I trusted in my Lord and asked Him
not to leave me in shame. He provided the money for me to
attend, and I had injections for the pain that enabled me to go.
During one of the ministry sessions, Pastor Maldonado said
that we shouldn’t expect him to touch people but that each one
of us would have to take our healing directly from the Holy
Spirit. I appropriated that word. I leaned against a wall, and, at
that precise moment, the pain began to disappear. The pastor
said that God was healing backs and that we should begin to
do what we couldn’t do before, as an act of faith. Again, I cried
out to the Lord, and I began to move. My husband, family, and
friends, who had seen the condition in which I had arrived,
were amazed. My healing was noticeable! I went forward to
testify, and Pastor Maldonado sealed my healing by laying his
hands on my head. I fell under the fire and presence of God,
and everything changed. Because of my testimony, my entire
family has come to Christ. My husband now serves the Lord in
the church, and our marital relationship has notably improved.”
Unbelief always denies God’s supernatural power.
Submit Your Unbelief to God
By now, you have identified areas of your heart in which
unbelief is holding you back from receiving what God has
promised. Satan doesn’t want your eyes to be opened to see
the reality of the infinite power of Christ; he wants to keep your
heart hardened by unbelief so that you will not be able to
access the supernatural. Perhaps God has called you to start a
business or a ministry, to take your church to the next level of
faith, or to begin to pray for the sick and otherwise move in
God’s supernatural power, but you continue to think, How can
this be? The Scriptures say that an individual who is double-
minded is unstable. (See James 1:5–8.) Such a person cannot
receive revelation from God or become an instrument that
manifests His power and presence.
You may be struggling with negative thoughts that fill your
mind with reasons and arguments for why you “can’t” have
something that God has promised or “can’t” do something that
God has told you to do. Perhaps a certain sickness is
hereditary in your family. Your reason is likely telling you,
“Your grandfather had it, your father had it, and, according to
medical science, you will have to suffer from it, too. That is just
the way it goes.” But, again, what does the Word of God say
about that sickness? “Surely [Jesus] has borne our griefs and
carried our sorrows;…and by His stripes we are healed”
(Isaiah 53:4–5).
Or, perhaps you have been blessed with millions of dollars,
and God has placed it on your heart to sow part of that money
into His kingdom purposes. Your human reason may give you
a series of excuses for why you shouldn’t do it. Yet, so many
Christian ministries need finances right now to help them
extend the kingdom! So many soul-winning churches need
funds to host evangelistic crusades, run orphanages, and do
many other outreaches, but there is no one willing to sow the
funds, because reason won’t let him! People allow their reason
to carry more weight than what God has placed on their heart
to do, because their reason makes sense to them, while they
can’t comprehend God’s will and ways. When “reason” makes
more sense to us than God’s will, our heart has been hardened
by unbelief.
There is an account in the Old Testament in which the Lord
asked Abraham to take his promised son, Isaac, who had been
conceived and born by a miracle of God, to a mountain and
sacrifice him there. (See Genesis 22:1–2.) Abraham’s reason
must have shouted within him, “No! You waited decades for
your son, and now that you have him, you are going to kill
him? That makes no sense!” Even today, this situation doesn’t
make sense to many people. After they read about what God
asked Abraham to do, their reason protests by reacting in the
following ways: Either it considers God’s request to be
“illogical” and “cruel,” therefore rejecting that He could have
made it or rejecting Him for making it, or it believes that this
account is a mere fable—that it never really happened but
serves as a graphic metaphor for faith.
The Faith of Abraham
Abraham had every reason to tell God that he couldn’t obey
Him, beginning with the fact that God Himself had promised
him Isaac and had told him He would multiply his descendants!
(See, for example, Genesis 17:1–21.) It didn’t make sense for
God to subsequently ask Abraham to sacrifice his son!
However, Abraham moved forward in faith to obey God. And
God prevented him from slaying his son, telling Abraham that
because he had been willing to offer his son, He now knew that
Abraham would withhold nothing from Him. (See Genesis 22:3–
18.) The command had been a test of Abraham’s faith, trust,
and devotion to God.
In this circumstance, we could say that Abraham allowed his
human reason to be guided by his trust in God, for the
Scriptures say, “Abraham reasoned that God could raise the
dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back
from death” (Hebrews 11:19 niv). How differently Abraham’s
life would have turned out if he had trusted in his human
reason alone! But now, his faith continues to bear fruit as a
blessing to all who believe and receive the gospel of Jesus
Christ. (See Galatians 3:6–9.)
Will you place your “Isaac” on the altar, so that God will know
that you withhold nothing from Him? Might your “Isaac” be
your business, ministry, wealth, hobby, or family? Might your
“Isaac” be your intellect, your reason—or your whole heart?
Will you surrender the supremacy of your reason so that your
heart may be freed from the spirit of unbelief, and you may
receive faith to believe that God can do the “impossible”?
Stop asking “How can this be?” Do you think it would have
made sense to the intellect, reason, and priorities of fallen
humanity for God to come into the world in the person of Jesus
Christ? No, but He came according to His own faith, reason,
and purposes. At the end of His ministry on earth, Jesus
allowed people to beat and whip Him to such a degree that He
was unrecognizable. He allowed them to push a crown of
thorns into His scalp. And He permitted them to nail Him to a
cross to die an agonizing death. Why did He do all that? It
wasn’t logical! But again, God didn’t come to earth in the
person of Jesus to die because it “made sense.” He did it out of
His eternal love for us.
When “reason” makes more sense to us than God’s will,
our heart has been hardened by unbelief.
The unredeemed, natural mind is an enemy of God (see
Romans 8:7)—it questions His existence, knowledge, wisdom,
and judgment; it rejects His supernatural power. “For those
who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of
the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things
of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). To overcome the obstacle of a
mind influenced or controlled by the sinful nature, we must
bypass the rational mind and operate directly by the faith that
has been birthed in our heart by the Holy Spirit. One way we
can accomplish this circumvention is to pray in “other
tongues” (Acts 2:4; see also 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14) by the
Spirit. However, if a spirit of unbelief resides in our heart, it can
block the faith that dwells there. Consequently, our heart must
be freed from the spirit of unbelief.
Bring Down the Stronghold of “How…?”
If you want to experience the power of God in your life, you
cannot enter into agreement with the sinful nature, the
attitudes of the fallen world, the mind-set of our contemporary
culture and educational process, the practice of “religion,” or
your own limited human reason. Instead, you must agree with
Christ! Receive Him and what He has done for you by His
death and resurrection. The Scriptures say, “Do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). God’s
“perfect will” will rule in your heart and mind as you are
transformed by His Word, developing a heart like His.
Faith gives us access to God’s supernatural power, but that
access will close if unbelief becomes entrenched in our heart.
It is time to bring down the stronghold of “How…?” that
sustains unbelief in our heart; it is time to allow God to be God
in our life. Something like this happened to a woman named
Guadalupe. She wanted a miracle, but, when it didn’t come, she
decided to stop believing. Yet God, in His love, did not give up
on her. The following is her story.
“I attend a church in Honduras. Approximately three years
ago, cancerous tumors were detected in my thyroid gland,
causing me to faint and to suffer great pain in my throat. I
could barely recognize the people around me, and my eyes had
to be bandaged to relieve the pain. I spent two months
hospitalized. I stopped going to my church and had no plans to
return to any church. I kept saying that I believed in the Lord,
but I was convinced that everything would remain the same for
me.
“A House of Peace group prayed for me a great deal. On one
occasion, the pastor visited me. He laid his hands on mine, and
I felt the presence of God—a shudder and electricity went
through my body. After they prayed for me, I went back to
church. They continued to pray for me, while the doctor kept
saying that I needed surgery. I wanted the operation, but God
had other plans. Just before the surgery, the doctor did a
biopsy. He placed an instrument in my throat to detect the
state of the cancer, and then he said, ‘That’s strange! I can’t
find anything!’ The only thing he saw were some white lines,
like scars after an operation. His conclusion was that it looked
as if God had operated. I was healed from that moment! I have
not experienced any of the symptoms I used to feel. I
reconciled with God and believed in His power, and He
delivered me of resentment and of accepting the sickness, and
He healed me!”
 How to Be Free from a Heart of Unbelief
We must all be liberated from unbelief of some kind. Many of
us have inherited “educated unbelief” from our culture and
“religious unbelief” from our church or denomination. We need
to be set free to believe God for the great things He wants to
do in us and through us! Taking the following steps will enable
us to attain freedom from unbelief.
1. Recognize Our State of Unbelief and Repent of It
The first step is to recognize that we have allowed an attitude,
a mind-set, and/or a spirit of unbelief to enter our heart. We
have questioned God’s character, integrity, Word, and
promises. We have subjected Him to the limitations of our
reason and have fallen prey to the stronghold of “How…?”
After acknowledging our unbelief, we must repent of allowing
it to become rooted in our heart, and we need to ask the Lord to
forgive us.

2. Renounce the Spirit of Unbelief

We must remove the legal right we have unknowingly given
Satan to operate a spirit of unbelief in our heart by renouncing
that unbelief and commanding it in the name of Jesus to leave
us. When we do this, we will recover the territory of our heart
that we had surrendered to unbelief, and which the spirit of
unbelief had been ruling to that point. Keep in mind that after
you have renounced the spirit of unbelief, the devil will resist
you and fight to regain the territory he has lost. This means
that even after you repent of a lack of faith and renounce
unbelief, you may suddenly find yourself struggling with
various doubts and fears. Thus, it is essential to daily
renounce the spirit of unbelief, as well as to take the following
step.
3. Receive the “Spirit of Faith”
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the “spirit of faith” (2
Corinthians 4:13). Remember that before the coming of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost, the disciples exhibited unbelief, for which
they were chastened by Jesus. Yet after they received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were filled with faith and
boldness. When someone is baptized by immersion, he is fully
covered. Therefore, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a “baptism
of faith”—a submersion in faith, enabling you to live a full life
as a believer, without being hindered by doubts.
When this happens, you may no longer understand how you
could have doubted! You will move in a dimension in which
you will know and perceive the spiritual realm—a dimension
where human reason, logic, common sense, and unbelief do not
hold sway. The spiritual realm will become a greater reality in
your life than the natural world.

4. Receive the Anointed Word

A further way to be liberated from a heart of unbelief is to
receive anointed teaching. Recall that when Jesus preached the
gospel in His hometown of Nazareth, He couldn’t do many
miracles there except heal a few illnesses, because the people
lacked faith in Him. (See Mark 6:1–5.) The Scriptures say, “And
[Jesus] marveled because of their unbelief” (Mark 6:6). Jesus
“marveled” at why people would doubt God, thereby limiting
His work in their lives. Ironically, by their unbelief, they had
restricted miracles from coming forth from the God in whom
there are no limits!
The passage continues, “Th e n [Jesus] went about the
villages in a circuit, teaching” (Mark 6:6). I believe there is a
direct connection between the two statements in this verse:
One reason the people didn’t accept the message of the gospel
is that they hadn’t been taught the truths of God’s Word
sufficiently, which would have built their faith. This lack of
spiritual knowledge had preconditioned them not to believe.
However, the reverse can also be true. Having adequate
teaching from God’s Word can precondition us to believe.
So, one way to overcome unbelief is to be taught truth from
the Word of God—but not from just any teacher. As we have
noted, there are unbelieving preachers who teach the Bible
solely as a historical book. They approach all topics from an
intellectual point of view, rather than a spiritual one. For
example, it is difficult for preachers to teach on God’s
supernatural power when they don’t truly believe in it and
have not experienced it. We must therefore be taught the
Scriptures by someone who has the anointing of the Spirit and
is able to receive revelation knowledge for today. Aside from
his own personal Bible study, a person can rise no higher than
the one who teaches him. And only progressive revelation
knowledge can enable people’s faith to move to the next level
so they can understand and receive God’s purposes for them
today. A preacher cannot adequately teach about what God
wants to do in our life today when all he has is revelation of
what God was doing in previous years.
We can’t expect people to believe what they have not been
taught. That is why, the first time I preach the gospel of the
kingdom in a particular place, I teach basic themes in relation to
the supernatural. The next time I go to that place, I often
observe that many of the people have captured the truths I
have preached and have moved forward to experience them.
The original teaching broke through their unbelief, enabling
them to receive God’s promises by faith. So, the second time I
teach the people in that place, I help them to go to the next
level of faith through teachings that go deeper into God’s
truth.
Therefore, in addition to regularly reading the Word of God
yourself, make sure you are receiving anointed preaching that
will take your faith to the next level.
Unbelief makes God marvel.
5. Regularly Speak in “Other Tongues”
As I wrote earlier, another way we can bypass our human
reason to reach the mind of God is to speak in “other tongues”
by the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 2:4; 1 Corinthians 14:2, 14.) When
we pray in tongues, we can activate the supernatural. The
Scriptures say, “[God] is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Make it a practice to pray in
tongues regularly so that you may break through the barrier of
unbelief and receive from the spiritual realm what God wants to
give you.
 Prayer for Deliverance from Unbelief
God is calling us to surrender our heart to Him so that He can
transform it, removing offenses and unbelief. He is preparing
us for the end times, when a great harvest of souls will be
reaped, and when God will transfer financial wealth from
unbelievers to His children, so they may use that wealth for His
glory and kingdom purposes. In order to receive that wealth
and be faithful stewards of it, we must have a pure heart, one
that is free of unbelief. With the “spirit of faith,” and
“according to the power that works in us,” we can receive
every promise God has reserved for this generation. Now is the
time! Surrender to God, renounce unbelief, and allow the
supernatural transformation of your heart to take place!
Dear friend, let me guide you in a very simple prayer for
deliverance from the spirit of unbelief. Remember to confess it
daily until every root of the spirit of unbelief in your heart has
been pulled up and discarded.
Heavenly Father, thank You for opening my spiritual eyes and
enabling me to see the unbelief in my heart. I praise You and
bless You for teaching me how to be free of this rebellion
against You and this resistance to Your will! In Christ, and with
all my heart, I ask You to forgive me for having allowed my
limited human reason and intellect to make me doubt You and
Your promises, and for having permitted the spirit of unbelief
to enter my life. Forgive me for making a “god” of my mind.
Right now, I renounce the wicked spirit of unbelief, and, in the
name of Jesus, I order it to leave my life.
Lord, I ask You, through Your Holy Spirit, to release the
“spirit of faith” in me. “Baptize” me in faith to believe any
portion of Your Word that I have previously found difficult to
accept and receive—and to believe for even greater things! I
receive Your faith right now. Help me to guard my heart and
mind so that I will not allow unbelief to enter. I declare that
everything that was held back in my life due to unbelief is
now released. I receive my [salvation, healing, deliverance,
financial provision, family restoration, or other blessing], in
the name of Jesus. Amen!
7
 The Obedient Heart

Everywhere I go, people ask me, “What is the key to the

success of your ministry?” My answer is always the same:
“Obedience to God.” Although I believe that various factors
contribute to the success of a ministry, a family, a business, or
any other entity or project, I know that obedience to God is
always the main factor. Each time God has asked me to do
something, I have obeyed, regardless of the cost. And I have
seen His faithfulness in the rewards and accomplishments I
have witnessed as a result. Every day, thousands of lives—
locally, nationally, and globally—are saved, transformed,
healed, delivered, and enabled to prosper because our ministry
has obeyed God’s mandate to form and equip leaders as God
has taught us to, according to the pattern in which He has
formed and equipped us. I could share countless testimonies of
the times when God has honored our obedience.
That is why I believe this book would be incomplete without a
chapter on the obedient heart. Every heart transformed by the
supernatural power of God manifests obedience as one of its
key characteristics. Obedience is not easy. In fact, making the
choice to obey is one of the greatest difficulties believers
encounter when they begin to draw close to God in a desire to
submit their whole life to Him. This is because we humans are
rebellious, independent, and egocentric by nature—by the
sinful nature, that is. In this chapter, we will examine some of
the themes from previous chapters in more depth, in order to
better understand the rebellion against God that frequently
erupts in our heart and that is manifested in our decisions and
behavior. We will also discover how to establish a lifestyle of
obedience to God.
Obedience Flows from a Love for God
Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John
14:15). When we love God, we desire to obey Him. In fact, we
express genuine love for Him by obeying His Word. Any love
that would keep us from following His commandments is false
love.
In the following testimony, we see a clear example of
obedience to God inspired by a deep love for Him. It was
loving devotion to God that led Alejandro of Costa Rica to
leave his profession as a medical doctor and surgeon to follow
the call of God on his life to be a pastor. He writes, “A family
member who was a pastor felt the need to come to Costa Rica
and preach the Word to my family. My mother, sister, and
aunts received the Lord Jesus through her. My sister later
asked me, ‘Alejandro, do you want to receive Jesus into your
heart?’ My answer was, ‘Yes, what should I do?’ That was my
conversion experience; there was a desire for God within me
that went beyond the capacity of my reason, because my
analytical and intellectual mind had often been an obstacle in
me. I believe there was a void within me of which I was
unaware, which led me to accept Christ above my reason.
“Although I fondly remember my time at the university, I also
remember having a deep need to serve God. Every year, I
wondered when that moment would come. For nine years, I
served at the church—learning, growing, evangelizing, and
preparing to make the decision to dedicate my life fully to
God’s service. I knew it would not be an easy decision because
of my family history; the most ridiculous thing I could do was
to leave my profession to become a pastor! But God confirmed
the decision in my heart, and I decided to face my family. My
mother, sister, and aunts supported my decision because they
were already Christians, and my father also supported me, but
the rest of the family opposed such ‘craziness.’ I have served
my Jesus with all of my heart to this day, and I will continue to
do it!”
Love is the motivation behind true obedience. Any love that
doesn’t result in obedience to God is false love.
God will not necessarily ask you to give up your profession in
order to follow His will for your life. In Alejandro’s case, God
had called him to change vocations and become a pastor, and
he willingly obeyed because God had placed that desire in his
heart, which was open to the Lord. The point is this: Whatever
your situation in life, your profession, or your future plans, are
you following what you know God is calling you to do, and are
you doing it from a heart of love for Him?
Obedience Also Flows from Faith in God
The Greek word most commonly translated as “obedience” or
“obedient” in the New Testament is hupakoe. It means
“attentive hearkening” and implies “compliance or
submission.” Like the obedience of Abraham that we examined
in chapter 6, true obedience is based on both a love for God
and a faith in Him that is “fully convinced that what [God has]
promised He [is] also able to perform” (Romans 4:21). When
an individual is fully obedient to God, it means he has gone
beyond the point of no return in fully trusting his heavenly
Father. When we doubt our ability to obey, it is usually
because we are not really convinced of God’s love, authority,
and/or power to fulfill His promises. Someone with an obedient
heart listens carefully to God’s Word, accepts God’s authority,
and submits to God’s will by choice, with the full conviction
that He will do everything He has promised.
Obedience to God is birthed in the heart, not in the mind.
What Is Disobedience?
If we are to obey our loving heavenly Father, we should
understand what it means to disobey Him, or to rebel against
Him. Disobedience is a heart attitude that won’t allow anything
or anyone—particularly God—to persuade us to see an issue
or situation for what it really is and to respond to it
appropriately. Disobedience manifests when we refuse to
believe that God’s will is best for us. Our sinful nature is
inherently rebellious and always resists the truth. Judas
Iscariot is a perfect example of someone who permitted the
rebellious sinful nature to control him, so that he ended up
betraying Christ. Afterward, he wasn’t persuaded by the
biblical truth that if we repent of our sin, God is faithful to
forgive us. Instead, he continued along the path of corruption
leading to his death. Some people choose to remain in
disobedience for so long that it becomes very difficult for them
to accept God’s forgiveness and to turn away from their sinful
behavior.
Disobedience is a heart attitude that won’t allow anything or
anyone to persuade us to see an issue or situation for what it
really is and to respond to it appropriately.
The Battle Within
Jesus came to earth proclaiming the kingdom of God and its
power to liberate us from sin and from the kingdom of
darkness. A battle commences each time God’s kingdom
arrives to destroy the kingdom of darkness in the “territory” of
a person’s heart. Furthermore, once God’s kingdom is
established in an individual’s life, a new conflict breaks out
between his born-again heart, or spirit, and the sinful nature.
Formerly, the person may not have experienced much conflict
in regard to his attitudes and conduct toward God, depending
on how sensitive his conscience was. But now that his spirit
has been renewed, he struggles against his sinful nature, which
he won’t be entirely free of until he goes to be with the Lord or
until Christ returns. People often wonder, “Why do I always
struggle to obey God?” It is because of this ongoing battle
within us, as well as Satan’s continual attacks on us as he
attempts to win back the “territory” that he has lost.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For what I am doing, I do not
understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but
what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I
agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I
who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:15–17). In
these words, you can almost feel the internal conflict Paul
described. If you desire to obey God, but something seems to
“push” you to disobey Him, it is because the sinful nature is
rebelling, trying to assert control in your life.
 Put Off the “Old Man”
“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man [“old
self” niv, nasb] which grows corrupt according to the
deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22). Paul wrote the above
instruction in a letter to believers in Ephesus who were truly
born again and full of the Holy Spirit but apparently lacked
revelation of the sinful nature battling within them. Previously,
we noted two synonyms for the sinful nature that are used in
the New Testament—the “flesh” (see, for example, Romans 7:5)
and the term employed in the above verse, the “old man,” or
“old self.” Some additional synonyms are “carnal mind”
(Romans 8:7 nkjv, kjv), “lust” (James 1:14 kjv), “body of sin”
(Romans 6:6 nkjv, kjv, niv, nasb), and “body of the sins of the
flesh” (Colossians 2:11 nkjv, kjv). Additionally, some
theologians and other believers call the sinful nature the
“Adamic nature.”
Let’s briefly review how the sinful nature came into being. God
had clearly instructed Adam and Eve, “But of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day
that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Satan
denied God’s words, saying, “You will not surely die”
(Genesis 3:4). When the first human beings believed the
enemy’s deception and disobeyed God, the sinful nature was
born. Adam and Eve placed themselves under Satan’s
authority rather than God’s. Consequently, human beings
became corrupt physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and
this corrupt nature has been passed down to all people, from
generation to generation, to the present day. The Scriptures
s ay, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned,
every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).
Yet, even when human beings first disobeyed and went their
own way, God made them a promise that He would redeem
them through a coming Messiah. By this redemption, the heart
of humanity would be transformed so that it could become a
“new man” (Ephesians 4:24) in God’s likeness again. God said
to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your seed and her Seed [Jesus the Messiah]; He shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
We know that Satan, or the devil, rebelled against God first.
Rebellion is his nature, and the “old man” is his “seed,” or
“child.” Rebellion is nothing more than disobedience, which
occurs when a person decides to separate himself from God in
order to pursue his own will, to satisfy himself, and to govern
himself—to act independently of the heavenly Father. This
decision inevitably results in an alignment with another
“father,” the devil, who does not obey the truth and is the
“father” of lies. Jesus told some leaders who considered
themselves religious, “You are of your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own
resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
Every born-again believer must be careful not to be deceived
by Satan into committing disobedience. “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the
faith” (1 Peter 5:8–9). We must all be alert to Satan’s schemes.
Obedience to God is not just a matter of believing in Jesus or of
having good conduct. Our heart needs to be continuously
transformed if we are to remain obedient to God. Let us explore
the process by which Adam and Eve disobeyed God, so that
we can recognize the devil’s schemes in our own life.
The only power the enemy has is that which we give him when
we are not under God’s authority.
The Original Process by Which the Human Heart Became
Disobedient
1. Adam and Eve Were Attracted to Satan’s Lies Through
Their Physical Senses and by Their Desire for Wisdom and
Power Independent of God
The serpent tempted the first human beings through the
physical senses. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
appeared to Adam and Eve to be “good for food,…pleasant to
the eyes” (Genesis 3:6). Satan also made it sound attractive to
become as wise as God (see Genesis 3:5–6), which may have
seemed to Adam and Eve like a pathway to greater spiritual
enlightenment. As a result, they were presented with a
temptation they found very difficult to resist. Just like Adam
and Eve, we struggle with temptations based on our physical
senses and ambitions that push us to disobey God.
2. Adam and Eve’s Misplaced/Wrong Desires Led to Their
Being Enticed to Sin
The Scriptures say, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn
away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin” (James 1:14–15). Rebellious
desires are perversions of God’s will. Adam and Eve ate from
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, even though God had
warned them not to. Perhaps they believed it would be all right
to do it “just once.” However, that one act generated lust in
their nature. Sin came to stay, giving birth to additional sin and
establishing a perpetual pattern of disobedience. Human
beings were unable to get rid of sin or the curse it released.
Satan’s goal was not just to make human beings sin once but
for them to practice sin continuously in a sinful state. In this
way, he could gain entrance into their lives to control and
oppress them.
If you are a believer, I warn you: You cannot play with sin.
You must repent of all sin and turn your back on it, because it
is a mortal trap. It is an endless downward spiral; once it
begins, it continues to produce evil unless it is renounced,
forgiven through Jesus Christ, and forsaken.
3. Adam and Eve’s Sin Produced Death for Them—and for
All Humanity
“Sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15).
The entrance of sin into the world produced spiritual death in
humanity—separation from God—as well as physical death.
Satan’s purpose in tempting us to sin is to separate us—
permanently, if possible—from our heavenly Father.
When we understand the above truths, we recognize the fact
that each time we act according to the sinful nature, we
essentially repeat the process by which the first humans fell.
That is why the apostle Paul urged us, “Put off, concerning
your former conduct, the old man [“old self” niv, nasb] which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians
4:22). We must decide daily to “put off…the old man”—to
reject sin and to obey God—so that we may escape death and
receive His abundant life.
The corruption of the “old man” can lead an individual to
think that death is his only option, and that he should end his
own life. During a spiritual retreat at King Jesus Ministry, five
women were delivered from the spirit of suicide. One of them,
named Flor, had felt very depressed and empty because her
daughter had died two year earlier. Flor had decided to end her
own life, so she took more than a hundred sleeping pills, but
her suicide attempt failed. Two weeks later, she again planned
to kill herself, but someone invited her to the retreat. While she
was there, she experienced the presence of God and received
the love of the Father, so that she no longer had a desire to die.
She was set free from the spirits of grief and suicide.
Another woman, Catalina, had started to take drugs and to
drink alcohol at the age of thirteen because she felt rejected by
her mother and because she felt deeply the absence of her
father from their home. By age eighteen, she didn’t want to live
anymore, but she attended the retreat. There, the fatherhood of
God embraced her and made her feel worthy and loved. She
realized that God was her Father and that she had a purpose,
and she left her addictions and suicidal thoughts behind.
Today, she is a new person!
Milena was a young married woman with precious children,
but she wanted to commit suicide because she felt very guilty
and unworthy. She was quick to become angry, and she was
extremely aggressive with her husband and children. Milena
felt so guilty over her behavior that she just wanted to
disappear from this world, so she wrote out her last will and
testament, intending to end her life. However, to God’s glory,
Milena decided to attend the retreat, and it was there that she
was set free from the spirits of manipulation, guilt, and suicide.
Now, she is learning to be a good wife and mother.
Cesia and Sarah are sisters who were abandoned by their
mother when they were very young. Their father was an
alcoholic, a drug addict, a drug dealer, and a murderer. He
never took care of them or their younger brother, so the girls
practically raised themselves, as well as their brother. When
the girls were sixteen and twelve years old, respectively, they,
too, began to use drugs and to drink alcohol. Shortly
thereafter, they were introduced to the lesbian lifestyle.
When Cesia and Sarah’s father died, they moved with their
brother to the United States to live with their mother, who
worked in a bar and was also an alcoholic. When their mother
realized that her daughters were drinking, she put them to work
in the bar and joined in their drinking. However, the mother was
an illegal alien, and she was soon deported by the authorities.
So, the sisters and brother became homeless again. The girls
had become violent and would hurt each other. They soon
reached their limit, and the only thing they wanted to do was
die. In fact, the older sister had already tried to take her life and
had been hospitalized for a month. Then, someone invited them
to the deliverance retreat, where they received the Lord and
were set free from the spirits of suicide, abandonment,
lesbianism, rejection, bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, and
addiction. They are now starting a new life. They know what
the lifestyle of the world is all about, and they never want to
return to it.
The Sinful Nature Is Continually Corrupt
 The sinful nature is in a constant state of decay, and it
prompts people to commit one corrupt act after another. Even
though the corruption is not always evident, it is always
present; and, in the long run, its destructive effects will
manifest. For example, today, you might see a young man or
woman who is physically attractive, educated, and wealthy and
who seems to “rule the world.” However, if that person follows
the desires of the sinful nature, then, sometime later, you will
see that the good looks and strength will have decreased, and
the body will have begun to look worn out, due to physical,
intellectual, and spiritual decadence, as well as the general
effects of the fall.
In communities and nations across the globe, there is a
constant pattern of social decay due to the corrupt sinful
nature. Governments and other institutions can do little to
prevent human corruption from infecting society through such
evils as lies, deceit, fraud, violence, and other abuses,
especially since most of the leaders who run the institutions
also have a corrupt heart that asserts control over them. Satan
can easily provoke rebellion in many people because, unless
their heart has been transformed, they are by nature “sons of
disobedience”:
You He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in
which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the
spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among
whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of
our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
 (Ephesians 2:1–3)
There is a “rebel” in every human being that produces
deceitful desires and evil thoughts that lead him to disobey
God. Nothing can stop corruption or decadence in the human
race except the power of Jesus Christ!
The sinful nature is rebellious, leading to spiritual, moral,
and physical corruption.
The Characteristics of Jesus’ Obedience
Jesus Christ is the supreme example of full obedience to God
the Father. His life of obedience was marked by two
characteristics:
1. The Surrender, or “Denial,” of His Divine Attributes
Jesus was 100 percent God and 100 percent Man. He had a
sinless nature, and He never committed any sin, so He did not
have to deny the “old man” or a rebellious will. However, He
did have to surrender, or “deny,” His divine glory and power
when He came to live on this earth as a Man. “[Jesus], being in
the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with
God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians
2:6). Similarly, our obedience to God may include not only the
crucifixion of “self” but also the denial of some of our human
“privileges” and “rights” for the greater good God calls us to.
If Jesus set aside His divine attributes when He came to earth,
how did He perform His miracles, such as healing, delivering
people from demon-possession, multiplying bread and fish,
and walking on water? He did so entirely as a Man, using the
same resources that are available to any born-again believer
today—by the exercise of faith, under submission to God the
Father, and with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. If He had
done any of His miracles as God, they would have been
“illegal,” since Jesus came as our Representative to live a life of
full obedience to God as a human being and to die on the cross
as our sinless Substitute.
Note that when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he
attacked Jesus’ divine identity, saying, “If You are the Son of
God….” Yet Jesus did not defend His deity to the devil or
banish the enemy with His divine power. Instead, He answered
each of Satan’s temptations with Scripture, as we are also able
to do today under the Spirit’s guidance. (See, for example, Luke
4:1–12.)
When Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, and
Peter tried to defend Him with a sword, Jesus told him, “Do
you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will
provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then
could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”
(Matthew 26:53–54). As God, and as the Father’s beloved Son,
Jesus could have been rescued from His persecutors by an
army of angels. Yet He chose to remain obedient to the
Father’s will and to die on the cross for our sake.
When Jesus was dying on that cross, He was mocked by
passersby who said, “If You are the Son of God, come down
from the cross” (Matthew 27:40). Again, He did not attempt to
prove His deity to anyone. He continued to set aside His
inherent, rightful divinity in order to obey the Father and to
fulfill the purpose for which He had come to earth.
As fallen—but redeemed—human beings, we must die to
“self” and deny the inclinations of the sinful nature, such as
selfish ambition and impure thoughts. Which do you think
would be easier—Jesus giving up His divine attributes to
depend totally on God the Father and the Holy Spirit to live as
a Man on the earth, or our dying to “self” and denying the
sinful nature? I believe it is easier for us to deny ourselves
because, on the cross, Jesus provided us with the grace and
the power that enable us to do so. Jesus has already
conquered sin and death for us. What He did for us was not
easy—it was excruciatingly hard and painful. If Jesus gave up
everything for us, we should give up all for Him.
2. Continued Submission to God’s Authority
While Jesus was on earth, He continually relinquished His will
to God’s will. As we have just discussed, Christ had a holy
nature, not the Adamic, sinful nature. However, as a human
being, He did have free will, which God has granted to all
humans. Every day, Jesus denied His own will—His ability to
do whatever He wanted—in order to obey the Father’s will; He
lived in constant submission to God’s authority. Jesus said, “I
can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment
is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of
the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). The book of Hebrews
tells us, “Though [Jesus] was a Son, yet He learned obedience
by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).
Although Jesus surrendered His will to God daily, His greatest
test came when He had to submit to the cruel mockery and
torture of death on the cross. Surrendering to this ordeal was a
struggle for Him. However, after much prayer, He was able to
say with conviction, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup
away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done”
(Luke 22:42).
Gethsemane was where Christ fought as a Man to obey the
Father. It is likely that every evil principality and stronghold
expected to see Jesus fail. The devil and his demons had not
been able to make Jesus fall by tempting Him with fame, wealth,
immorality, pride, or riches to deny the will of God. But this time
He faced physical and spiritual torture and agonizing death.
Gethsemane was Christ’s personal “Armageddon”—His last
battle. The conflict that took place in His heart was so intense
that “His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down
to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Medically speaking, His
capillaries burst. His heart was broken that night.
Yet Jesus was a Man who lived under God’s authority. We
don’t know how long He prayed, but when His prayers were
complete, He was surrendered and ready to do God’s will, to
finish the work for which He had come to earth. “And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the
cross” (Philippians 2:8).
You are committed to obey God to the extent that you are
submitted to Him.
Do you feel as if you are facing your own Gethsemane?
Learning obedience is a process. It was the same for Jesus,
even though He was sinless. We are not born obedient, and
obedience is not a gift that can be imparted to us. As we go
through this process of learning obedience, we will make
mistakes, and we may have times when we disobey, because
our will is difficult to break. However, that fact should not
discourage us. Even though learning to obey takes time,
obedience is not impossible, because the grace of the Holy
Spirit will enable us to obey. Each time we surrender our own
will to carry out the will of God, we are led to greater levels of
obedience, which, in turn, give us access to greater spiritual
rewards.
When we are at the beginning of this process, God will ask us
to obey Him in small and perhaps seemingly insignificant
matters. If we are faithful, He will give us increasingly
challenging matters in which to submit to Him. I believe that’s
how it was with Jesus. He learned obedience from the simplest
of things to the hardest—which was to surrender Himself to
God the Father as the sacrificial Lamb. It is interesting to note
that Christ “died” to His will many times before His physical
death on the cross. He obeyed the Father in every stage of His
life and endured the suffering that all human beings experience
on earth. (See, for example, Hebrews 2:18.) He did this in order
to learn obedience and to fully identify with the human race.
Jesus had to go through the process of learning obedience in
which He continually chose to submit to the Father’s plan.
That is why Christ can say to us, “If anyone desires to come
after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
When Jesus died after surrendering His own will to the
Father’s will, the veil of the temple was torn in two, signifying
the restoration of the relationship between God and man. Then,
God resurrected Jesus! Christ understood the principle that
resurrection—literal and figurative—is the result of death to
“self” and obedience to God. He had previously said to Pilate,
“My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may
take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of
Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take
it again. This command I have received from My Father”
(John 10:17–18). The Son of God was obedient unto death on
the cross because, again, He had placed Himself under God’s
authority. And His obedience made Him fitting for resurrection.
None of us can crucify the sinful nature until we surrender our
will to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you His supernatural
grace, so you can learn to daily surrender your will to the
Father’s, just as Christ did.
God the Father raised Jesus from dead because He died under
God’s authority.
Obedience to God’s Authority
We must make a choice to obey God and His delegated
authorities. If we aren’t in submission to the godly authority
God has placed over our life, we are in a state of rebellion. We
obey our leaders in the church, for the Word says, “Obey
those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch
out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them
do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be
unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). We obey the delegated
authorities at our places of work, because the Scriptures say,
“Be obedient to those who are your masters according to the
flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ”
(Ephesians 6:5). We obey the authorities in our homes,
because we are commanded, “‘Honor your father and mother,’
which is the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2).
We obey the laws and leaders of our governments, for God’s
Word says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing
authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the
authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1).
When we obey the earthly authorities delegated by God, we
obey Him, and when we disobey them, we disobey God.
Obedience to God includes voluntary submission to His
delegated authorities.
The “How,” “When,” and “Where” of Obedience
As we noted earlier, obedience is linked to faith. It is not a
feeling or an emotion but the result of an internal conviction
that originates in the heart. “Faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). To
walk by faith is to have a strong conviction about the reality of
the sovereign God and His invisible spiritual realm. When we
obey God, our conviction is manifested in the natural realm as
He works in our life in supernatural ways.
To have a heart of true and total obedience means to do what
God commands—how, when, and where He says to. Such an
obedient heart reflects great faith. Sometimes, we may agree
with God about the things He commands but still fail to obey
Him in the “how” and “when” of them, so that we end up
obeying Him only partially in regard to the “where.” This is
what happened to King Saul when he did not wait for Samuel
to come and offer a sacrifice to the Lord but offered it himself,
which he was not authorized to do. (See 1 Samuel 13:1–13.)
Another time, Saul obeyed the “where” and “when” but not
the “how.” God had told him to destroy the Amalekites and all
their goods, including the animals. Although Saul “attacked
the Amalekites” and put the people to death (see 1 Samuel
15:7–8), he and his army “spared Agag [the king] and the best
of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was
good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them” (1 Samuel
15:9). Because Saul’s heart was disobedient to God, the Lord
rejected him as king. (See 1 Samuel 13:14; 15:10–11, 22–23.)
The prophet Samuel told Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). We need to take these words to
heart, because a similar scenario occurs in the church today.
Some people obey God and His delegated authorities only
partially, and this has given the enemy a right to attack them.
The Bible clearly says, “Do not give the devil a foothold”
(Ephesians 4:27 niv). We know that Christ conquered Satan at
the cross and stripped the enemy of his power and authority;
the devil has been defeated, dethroned, and disarmed. If they
know this, why are so many believers defeated, sick, poor,
depressed, and anxious? Sometimes, the cause is disobedience
—full or partial—which has given the enemy an entry, or
“foothold,” into their lives.
Partial obedience is equivalent to disobedience.
Because Christ defeated Satan, giving us the victory over him,
the only way the enemy can have a legal right to exercise
power over us is through our disobedience. If this situation
applies to you, today is the day to take away his rights and to
reclaim your victory in Christ! Repent, ask God to forgive you,
close every door of disobedience, and rebuke the enemy from
attacking your health, your home, your finances, or any other
area of your life. Paul wrote to the Romans, “For your
obedience has become known to all. Therefore I am glad on
your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and
simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan
under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:19–20).
Our disobedience to God empowers Satan, while our
obedience disarms him.
Taylor is a college student who returned to God after
experiencing the consequences of falling into a life of rebellion
and disobedience. He writes, “I was raised in the church, but I
slowly turned my back on God as I grew older. I experienced
depression and anger, even though I never mentioned it to
anyone. One night, after returning to my room at the university,
I contemplated taking my own life. I was about to do it when
‘something’ led me to reach out to a Christian friend. I went to
her room, where she prayed for me and invited me to a meeting
at the campus. This was not the first time she had invited me.
Previously, I had always given her an excuse not to go, but this
time I went.
“In the meeting, I was prayed over and ministered to. Then I
was invited to an inner healing and deliverance service at the
church. I was skeptical because I had never seen anything like
it, and I wasn’t sure that it would really work. However, when I
began to understand what it was all about, I cried
uncontrollably, and I surrendered my heart to the Lord. At that
moment, eighteen years of burdens and oppression lifted off
my shoulders. When the pastor gave the altar call, I ran to it. I
felt that God had been calling me for years to return to Him, but
I had ignored Him all of that time.
“After giving my life to Christ, I felt free and filled with a peace
I had not experienced before. I used to lead a life of immorality,
depression, anger, bitterness, and fear, but I was set free from
all that by the power of God. He began to transform me in order
to make me the person He had planned for me to be. Now I
allow God to do things His way through me and to use me to
bring others closer to Him.”
Barriers to Obedience
All of us have various spiritual, mental, and emotional barriers
that keep us from giving total obedience to God. We overcome
these hindrances as we go through the process of learning full
obedience. The most important aspect of this process is to
continue surrendering to God and depending on His grace to
accomplish the transformation of our heart. Let’s examine
several of the barriers to obedience, at the same time assessing
our own heart in relation to them.

1. Comfort and Convenience

Thousands of believers have allowed comfort and
convenience to become their “god,” keeping them from
obeying the Lord and making personal sacrifices on His behalf.
If they were to lose their comforts and conveniences, many
people would quickly demonstrate how weak their love,
patience, kindness, perseverance, and surrender to God really
are. In most cases, the financial and material blessings they
enjoy originally came to them as blessings from God, but they
hold on to them tightly and don’t use them for the purpose of
blessing others in addition to benefitting themselves. Or, they
are focused on the pleasure they derive from these gifts rather
than focusing on the Giver Himself.
I know of families whom God has instructed to attend our
church, but they won’t come because they consider the church
too far away from where they live. They prefer to attend a
church that is closer because it is more comfortable and
convenient for them to do so—even at the price of spiritual
stagnancy and disobedience.
Are you willing to obey God even if it means giving up some
comfort and convenience?
2. “Profitability”
In regard to doing God’s will, some believers ask, “What’s in it
for me?” They may know that God wants them to do something
in particular, but since it would not be financially profitable,
they are unwilling to obey. It is sad to find Christians who
choose not to obey God unless they receive some material
reward for their efforts. Some people obey only when they are
offered a better position, more money, or something else they
believe is to their advantage.
As I travel around the world to preach the gospel of the
kingdom, there are some places where I am given financial
support for coming and ministering to the people. There are
other places where I am not given anything for ministering; the
people either can’t give or won’t give, so our ministry has to
cover the expenses of the mission. Yet my criterion for deciding
whether to go to a country to manifest the supernatural power
of God is not based on the promise of an offering or of
reimbursement for travel expenses. My criterion is God’s will. If
He wants me to go, nothing can stop me, because I have
learned to obey Him, regardless of whether it is financially
profitable or not.
Are you willing to obey God even when it doesn’t seem
“profitable” to do so?

3. Human Reason and

Understanding
We discussed the barrier of human reason in some depth in
the previous chapter. When God asks people to do a certain
task or to surrender something to Him, but the purpose for
doing it goes beyond their human reason and understanding,
some are not willing to obey. This is a key point because many
things that God asks us to do will not make sense to our human
reason! If we don’t learn to overcome this limitation, we won’t
move very far along in our walk of obedience.
The most powerful miracles God has done through me have
taken place after I have acted in faith to do something for Him
that went beyond the limits of my reason. I didn’t understand
this principle until I made the decision to step out and obey
God even when I didn’t understand why He wanted me to do
something or how He would do it. Then, as I saw Him work, I
grew in faith. One of the greatest manifestations of this
principle I have ever witnessed was the manner in which our
church building, which holds six thousand people, came into
being. We purchased the land and built the church in just two
years—without loans or debt. The whole endeavor required
giant steps of faith to obey what God had spoken to us, both
directly and through His prophets. And He was faithful in
every stage of the building process.
Are you willing to obey God even when it doesn’t make sense
to your human reason?
With each act of obedience, the heart expands;
with each act of disobedience, the heart shrinks.

4. Sacrifice
The idea of sacrifice doesn’t sit well with many people today
because our generation wants everything free, quick, and easy
—with instant gratification. People want success without
diligence, prosperity without sowing financial “seed” into
God’s kingdom, health without faith, and deliverance without a
denial of self. In many churches, the biblical message of
sacrifice is often replaced with an extreme view of the free grace
of God. This view promotes the idea that we do not have to
exercise personal responsibility or take up our cross daily to
follow Jesus.
We should make sacrifices based on our love for God and our
desire to advance His kingdom. As we saw in the case of Saul,
any sacrifice we offer is worthless if God did not tell us to do it.
(See 1 Samuel 15:22.) Believers are God’s priests. (See
Revelation 1:6; 5:10.) As such, we are called to offer “spiritual
sacrifices” (1 Peter 2:5), such as prayer, tithes and offerings,
and the presentation of our physical body as a “living
sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) to God. The only way our sacrifices
will be pleasing to God is if we do them with a heart of
obedience, by faith, and according to revelation of His will—
either through His Word or directly by His Spirit.
Are you willing to sacrifice your personal time and resources
to serve Christ? Are you willing to walk the extra mile to restore
your marriage? Are you willing to offer God your business,
profession, gifts, talents, and vision in order to do what He
wants you to do?
Obedience as a Lifestyle
Perhaps you continually struggle to obey God, so that you ask
yourself the various questions we have just discussed—and
maybe some additional ones—when you are trying to decide
whether to obey God’s will. For instance, you may ask, “Is
there something in it for me?” “Will it bring me pleasure?”
“Does it offer me security?” “Is it convenient for me?” “Will it
make me comfortable? “Will I have to sacrifice anything?”
“Will people laugh at me?” “Do I have to do it right now?” If
you often ask yourself questions like these when you are
called to obey God, then obedience is not yet a lifestyle for
you.
When obedience is your lifestyle, it means that you have
purposefully made a commitment to obey God, regardless of
the outcome. And, when you commit to do God’s will, He
commits to give you whatever you need—and often more—to
fulfill what He’s called you to do. Therefore, you need to make
an overarching decision of obedience in which you affirm to
God, “I will obey You, regardless of the place, the time, the
circumstances, or the difficulties I might face.”
God doesn’t commit until we submit.
When you have made such a commitment, you will no longer
allow comfort, convenience, profitability, human reason, or
personal sacrifice to prevent you from obeying God. Once you
know His will on a certain matter, you obey—and that’s that!
You have accepted the fact that Christ is your Lord and that He
governs and controls your life; therefore, you surrender in faith
to His will for you.
Do you trust the God whom you serve to guide you and keep
you? Do you trust that He will direct you to make the right
decision in every situation because He desires to give you
what is best for your life in accordance with His glory?
A lifestyle of obedience comes from making an overarching
decision to obey God, no matter what, and to leave the results
up to Him.
How to Establish a Walk of Obedience
Learning to obey God is a process in which we continually
step out in faith to do what God has said, while denying the
sinful nature and its destructive desires. To progress to higher
and higher levels on the path of obedience, we must purposely
( 1 ) “put off…the old man” (Ephesians 4:22), or the sinful
nature, and (2) “put on the new man” (Ephesians 4:24), or the
new nature of Christlikeness.
1. “Put Off…the Old Man”
“Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians
4:22). As we discussed previously, society tries in various
ways to control corrupt human behavior. Let us examine the
main ways by which our culture attempts to do this, so that we
will not rely on human methods to accomplish God’s work in
us.
The “Old Man” Cannot Be Defeated by Human
Psychology or Counseling
Many psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, medical
doctors, teachers, and even preachers try to “cure” the sinful
nature using human methods and techniques. Yet, their results
are limited and temporal because they usually deal with only
the symptoms rather than with the root of the problem, which is
sin. Many of their treatments attempt to build up a person’s
ego, thus making “self” the center of the counselee’s existence.
From this approach come the terms self-realization and self-
help. At first glance, these concepts might seem good;
however, in practice, they often encourage human beings to
seek within themselves for a solution to sin. Since they are
directed at “self,” these treatments allow the rebellious nature
to continue to reign within an individual.
The “Old Man” Cannot Be Defeated by Laws and Cultural
Standards
Many governments and law enforcement agencies attempt to
curb people’s negative behavior by threatening various fines,
punishments, and/or other consequences for those who do not
keep society’s laws or cultural standards. Yet laws and
standards can prove ineffective. For example, not even the
threat of the death penalty prevents some people from killing or
raping other people or committing other horrible crimes. While
laws and cultural norms are helpful for maintaining general
order in society, ultimately, they cannot offer a permanent
solution for the rebellious heart or change the sinful nature.
The “Old Man” Cannot Be Defeated by Religion
The practice of religion focuses primarily on people’s external
behavior, often giving the follower an appearance of holiness
that neither touches nor modifies his corrupt heart. Without
the transformation that comes from the living Christ, the inner
man continues to be a corrupt tree that produces bad fruit:
“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad
fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear
good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down
and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 7:17–19). Religion, like
laws, may help to keep human behavior in check temporarily,
but it cannot change the sinful nature or transform a
disobedient heart. Eventually, the “old man” will follow a path
of corruption until it perishes.
The “Old Man” Can Be Defeated Only by Being
Put to Death
The remedy for the sinful nature cannot be found in
psychotherapy, laws, religion, or education. But neither can it
be found in merely citing Scripture, singing worship songs,
taking classes on morality, or listening to motivational
preaching. The remedy is to execute the “old man” through a
work of spiritual crucifixion. The cross is the only solution for
dealing with the sinful nature! As Paul wrote, “I have been
crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in
the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”
(Galatians 2:20).
The crucifixion of the sinful nature is a continuous, daily
process of submitting to God and denying “self.” “Put to
death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which
is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5 niv). It is our responsibility to
choose to crucify the sinful nature—and God will give us the
supernatural grace to do it.
“Putting off the old man” and “putting on the new man” are
two sides of the same coin of God’s plan for the transformation
of our heart. The old nature must be crucified. Meanwhile, the
manifestation of the new nature must increase in proportion to
the crucifixion of the old nature. The “new man” within us is
the nature of Christ Himself. And, as John the Baptist said,
“[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
The manifestation of the new nature must increase in
proportion to the crucifixion of the old nature.
Every day, we must deny the demands of the old nature that
rebels against God, in order to give place to the new nature that
obeys the will of God. We know that the old nature will
continue to act as if it has the right to control us, because it is
addicted to doing, thinking, and acting in wrong ways; it is
filled with deceitful desires and pride. But, by the Spirit of God,
if we crucify the old nature, it will die. That is the only way to
establish a lifestyle of obedience to God. The choice is ours! If
we live according to the old nature, the fruit we bear will be sin,
sickness, lack, death, and endless corruption. But if we live
according to the new nature, the fruit we bear will be a
manifestation of true life—a life of faith, love, obedience,
health, deliverance, power, and peace. We will have the
blessing of knowing that God’s kingdom is being established
on earth and that Christ is being glorified—through us!
“For if we have been united together in the likeness of
[Jesus’] death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His
resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with
Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we
should no longer be slaves of sin” (Romans 6:5–6). The phrase
“knowing this” indicates a fact that has already taken place.
Unless we acknowledge the reality that our old nature was
crucified with Jesus, we will continue to disobey God.
We must apply Christ’s completed work of crucifixion in order
to defeat the rebellious sinful nature that continually tries to
reassert itself in us. Here is the key: We have to receive
Christ’s work personally. Many people don’t understand this
principle. For most believers, the crucifixion of their old nature
exists in the theoretical realm alone; they do not consider it a
reality they can experience here and now. That is why, even
though the sinful nature was put to death on the cross with
Christ, they continue to be slaves to it—succumbing to corrupt
thoughts, such as bitterness and hate; and deceitful desires,
such as sexual immorality and greed. It is also why, even
though Christ died for their infirmities and their poverty, they
continue to be sick, depressed, and in financial need. Their
lives are dominated by rebellion, stubbornness, pride,
arrogance, and fear.
The good news is that the transformation of our heart is truly
possible, because Christ has set us free from the corrupt sinful
nature! The apostle Paul said, “O wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God;
through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin”
(Romans 7:24–25). There is a difference between receiving
forgiveness for our sin and putting to death the rebellious
sinful nature. When I was a new believer, I would commit
certain sins that I knew I would commit again even after
confessing them. As a result, I used to wonder whether it was
worth confessing them. I was trapped in a pattern of sin, and I
felt like a hypocrite and a disobedient Christian. What I had
was a form of religion.
It wasn’t until I received the revelation of the cross, until I
received the gospel of the kingdom with power, that I was set
free from recurrent sin. The gospel of the kingdom resolves the
problem of the corrupt heart; it reveals the only solution for the
problem of sin—the crucifixion and death of the old nature.
God’s plan of redemption involves not just forgiveness for
past sins but also victory over a rebellious heart that pushes
us to commit acts of disobedience. We must fully understand
that when Christ died on the cross, He executed and removed
the old nature—once and for all!
Christ executed the old nature on the cross so that we could
receive a new nature in Him.
2. “Put On the New Man”
“Put on the new man which was created according to God, in
true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). This
mystery of “putting on the new man” must be understood and
carried out through revelation by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be
analyzed in the mind, because the intellect cannot possibly
comprehend it. It has to do with a freewill act that consciously
applies the life of the resurrected Christ to us. On the cross, our
old nature died. Through the resurrection, we receive a new
nature. We must confirm this reality each day, putting on the
“new man” by asking the Holy Spirit to activate the life of
Christ in us. Jesus has already done the work for us. He
defeated sin and death, and He rose victoriously as the new
Man. The rest—applying that work—is up to us! Ask the Holy
Spirit to open your spiritual eyes so that you can receive a
clear revelation of what it means to “put on the new man.”
Characteristics of the “New Man”
The “new man” comes from the new birth. When
we accept the gospel of the kingdom, repent, and
experience the new birth through the Holy Spirit,
we receive a new nature.
The “new man” was produced by God. A human
being cannot produce a new nature by his own
strength; neither can laws, religion, good works,
or anything else that originates in human
methods. The new nature is produced in us solely
by God.
The “new man” was created in God’s likeness—
in righteousness and holiness. It was God’s
purpose through Christ that a new human race
would be born, in which His nature would be
restored according to His original plan. (See, for
 example, Romans 8:29.)
The “new man” has an incorruptible nature. The
nature of the new man cannot be corrupted,
because it was born of the seed of God, through
His everlasting Word: “Having been born again,
not of corruptible seed but incorruptible,
through the word of God which lives and abides
forever” (1 Peter 1:23). The seed of which we were
born again is incorruptible; therefore, our new
nature is incorruptible. Only God could have
accomplished this in us. I am not saying that a
born-again Christian will never sin. What I am
saying is that we have a divine nature that has
the capacity not to sin—a nature that was
produced in us by Jesus, the Word of God,
accomplished through the supernatural exchange
of righteousness for sin that Christ effected on
the cross and by His resurrection life.
3. Apply God’s Supernatural Grace
The old nature expresses itself through rebellion; the new
nature expresses itself through obedience. The decision to
deny and crucify our old nature is our own. No one can do it
for us. However, once we decide to die to “self,” the Holy Spirit
will empower us with His supernatural grace to carry out the
“execution.” Again, we cannot transform ourselves in our own
strength; when we try to do so, the fruit we produce is dead
works. But when we are transformed according to God’s grace
and strength, we produce the fruit of the Spirit in abundance.
God’s supernatural grace enables us to do what we can’t do
in our own strength.
4. Restore God’s Original Intent
The two primary reasons God created human beings are as
follows:
To reproduce in us the image and likeness of God:
“God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26).
To give us dominion, power, and authority over
the created world: “God blessed them, and God
said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the
earth and subdue it’” (Genesis 1:28).
When God restored humanity, He gave us the new nature for
those same reasons. Understanding these two purposes is
essential to walking in obedience to God. If we know that we
were created for these reasons, and if we pursue them in the
Spirit, we will automatically live in a way that is pleasing to
God.
“‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam
became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Jesus Christ
came as the “last Adam” to end the legacy of sin and
corruption in the human race due to the first Adam’s
disobedience, so that we could carry out our two original
purposes. We believers have the responsibility of reflecting
the image of God on earth and of exercising dominion and
lordship over the natural world and over the kingdom of
darkness. “For whom [God] foreknew, He also predestined to
be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the
firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Do you want
to be one of those “brethren” who are formed in the image of
God’s Son? Will you make a commitment today to reject the
sinful nature and to obey God’s will?
The following testimony is about a husband and wife who
decided to die to the old nature that was corrupting them.
Jessica and her husband had practiced witchcraft for ten years.
Jessica testifies that while her husband was in prison, he met
Christians who preached Jesus to him and made him “crazy.”
But, one day, he came across my book How to Walk in the
Supernatural Power of God and was so impacted by reading it
that he gave his life to Christ. Then, he called his wife and told
her that she needed to find King Jesus Ministry and begin to
attend church there.
Jessica said that due to their practice of witchcraft, she would
hear voices and footsteps in her home that frightened her and
didn’t let her sleep in peace. Since she was already attending
King Jesus church, a team from the church went to her
apartment one day to pray and spiritually cleanse the
atmosphere there. Later, the team testified that demons
manifested in that place in such a strong way that even the
necklaces used in the practice of witchcraft moved on their
own. They removed over sixty industrial-sized garbage bags
full of objects the couple had used in Santería—books, music,
images, outfits, necklaces, drums, dolls, altars, and much more
—with a value of approximately $120,000. God’s power entered
that apartment, and, ever since, there have been no more
voices or footsteps. Jessica is happy with the peace in her
home today. And, as a result of that deliverance and
transformation, her mother-in-law and sister-in-law have also
given their lives to Jesus.
Dear friend, it is time for you to make a decision. Have you
been persuaded by God’s promises for you? Are you
convinced that He will do what He has said? If your own life is
manifesting the works of the sinful nature more than the works
of the Spirit, then what Jesus accomplished on the cross has
been mainly theoretical to you, and you haven’t allowed God’s
power to transform your life. You need to apply the work of
Christ, crucifying the old nature, so that you can live according
to your new nature. God is waiting for you to make the decision
to obey Him before you experience the consequences of your
disobedience. Now is the time for you to straighten your path
so that you may reflect the image of your loving Creator and
start to exercise dominion and lordship over the earth,
according to the authority of Jesus and in the power of the
Holy Spirit. If you want to exchange your disobedient heart for
an obedient one, pray the following prayer of commitment to
God’s will—and begin to be transformed!
Prayer of Obedience
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ, who
crucified the old nature on the cross so that I could receive a
new nature through Him. I ask You to forgive me for living to
please the desires of my sinful nature and for not denying them
in order to pursue Your purposes. Today, of my own free will, I
choose to “put off the old man” and to “put on the new man”
in order to live a lifestyle of obedience to You. I desire to obey
You always, regardless of whether it is “convenient,”
“reasonable,” or “profitable” for me. Since I know that I cannot
do this in my own strength, I appeal to You to accomplish it in
me through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. Grant me
the grace to yield my will to Yours and to exchange my
priorities for Yours in regard to every goal and decision I make.
I declare that, from this day forward, I will obey Your will and
pursue Your purposes. In Jesus’ name, amen!
8
 The Heart Surrendered to God

Surrender. Submission. Yielding. Sacrifice. Holiness. Today,

inside the church as well as outside it, these concepts are
unpopular or incomprehensible to most people. Additionally,
many who do understand these ideas are afraid of them
because they involve the denial of self. The greatest struggle
people have with God is accepting and obeying His command
to die to “self” and to surrender to Him wholeheartedly.
As we previously discussed, modern psychology and
psychiatry have tried for years to provide a cure for people’s
mental and emotional problems through treatments that
empower their ego. These treatments do not take into
consideration the human need for total surrender to the Creator
or the healing people can receive when they yield to Him.
Similarly, in the church, some people have adopted an extreme
view of God’s grace that produces egocentric and selfish
believers who seek instant gratification. Many of these
believers do not appreciate the nature of Jesus’ sacrifice for
them or the lifestyle of surrender to God that He set as a
pattern for us. They don’t believe they need to give up
anything to God; they think they should just receive from Him
without fulfilling any responsibility on their part.
God Requires Continuous Surrender
The only way to experience ongoing transformation of the
heart and to receive God’s blessings is through daily surrender
to Him. Jesus said:
 Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who
loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this
world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him
follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If
anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. (John 12:24–26)
God requires total and continuous surrender on our part. Yet
He does not ask us to do anything that He is not willing to do
Himself and that He has not already done. From eternity, the
God of the universe has surrendered Himself on our behalf.
The Father surrendered His Son to be the Savior of the world.
The Son yielded His will to the Father throughout His life on
earth, culminating at Gethsemane and the cross. And the Holy
Spirit yields Himself to the Son. Jesus said, “When He, the
Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for
He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He
hears He will speak.…He will glorify Me, for He will take of
what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13–14). And we
are to follow God’s example. “Be imitators of God as dear
children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and
given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet-smelling aroma” (Ephesians 5:1–2).
The act of surrender, or the giving up of oneself or something
that is a part of oneself, is a concept found in the heart of God.
The “law of surrender” applies to God, as well to humans,
because to sacrifice oneself for the sake of others is an intrinsic
part of His nature. I believe that of all God’s characteristics,
attitudes, and actions, this aspect of surrender reflects the
deepest part of Him. Christ was never higher than when He
surrendered Himself to become the lowest for us. “[Christ]
made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians
2:7). Since surrender and sacrifice are aspects of God’s nature,
and we know that Jesus surrendered Himself fully to the
Father, especially in sacrificing Himself for our sake, why do we
look for excuses and justifications—including theological ones
—not to surrender ourselves to God? Surrender brings us into
harmony with Him and with the nature of His kingdom.
God does not ask us to do anything that He is not willing to
do Himself and that He has not already done.
The Surrendered Heart Reminds God of His Son’s Sacrifice
Just as our redemption came through Christ’s surrender to
God’s will on the cross, most of what God gives us comes
through a “death,” or surrender, to Him. I believe that when
God sees a person whose heart is truly yielded to Him, He sees
Jesus’ crucifixion anew; and wherever there is such a
crucifixion, God imparts a resurrection! Surrender is the path
that Christ walked, and He has paved the way for us to follow
Him on that path, which will lead us to supreme exaltation in
Him. “[Jesus] humbled Himself and became obedient to the
point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also
has highly exalted Him…” (Philippians 2:8–9). The way “up”
to God always starts by going “down” in surrender and
humility before Him.
Many people believe in God, go to church, and worship Him,
but they don’t commit to Him beyond attending Sunday
morning services. They don’t want to follow the path of
surrender that Christ paved for them because it involves giving
up “self,” subjugating the ego, making spiritual sacrifices to
God, and undergoing the transformation of the heart. People
don’t want to give up their sinful practices or indulgent
lifestyle, and they don’t want to share in the sufferings of
Christ, something that the apostle Paul sought as a vital aspect
of his relationship with Jesus. (See Philippians 3:10 niv.)
Their attitude separates them from the Father’s heart because
God sees Christ in us not necessarily in the miracles He
performs through our lives or in the good deeds we do but in
each act of surrender in which we fully submit to Him and His
will. Let us remember Jesus’ warning: “Many will say to Me in
that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name,
cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in
Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew
you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
(Matthew 7:22–23).
Willing Surrender Versus Unwilling Surrender
There are those who “commit” to God but never truly
surrender to Him. Surrendering goes much deeper than even
commitment, because it compels a person to address the
deepest part of his rebellion against God. There is a great
difference between willing surrender and unwilling surrender.
For example, a soldier may commit to military service because
his country is at war and his government has instituted a draft,
and there is no other option for him than to serve, because he
does not want to go to prison. However, his heart may not be
in alignment with the reasons why his country is at war or with
his own participation in that war. The entire time he serves, the
soldier may be internally rebelling against his obligation. If he
could walk away from the commitment, he would not hesitate to
do so. Likewise, a person may commit to God in order to avoid
punishment in hell but never truly surrender his heart out of
deep love for God and a devotion to His purposes.
A person will not rise any higher than his level of surrender.
The Surrendered Heart Yields Its Rights
One dictionary definition of surrender is “to yield to the
power, control, or possession of another upon compulsion or
demand.” That definition corresponds to the illustration of the
drafted soldier we discussed above. Another definition of
surrender is “to give up completely or agree to forgo especially
in favor of another.” This definition seems to correspond more
closely to our act of surrender to God. Surrender involves
giving up the demands of the “self” and the sinful nature in
favor of what God wants for us, and giving up our own rights
and desires in favor of what would be best for those whom we
are called to serve in His name.
I often like to define surrender in this way: “to deny ‘self’ by
choice and conviction,” and “to give up one’s rights to God.”
A person whose heart is yielded to God has given up his
doubt, unbelief, personal ego, and reliance on his own
strength; he has given total control of his life to God. He has
moved beyond the natural realm in order to live in the
supernatural. He has died to his fears and insecurities so that
he may “live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20) and
be “transformed…from glory to glory”
(2 Corinthians 3:18).
Surrendering our heart to God is one of the greatest acts of
faith, because when we think that we have the “right” to hold
on to something, it is very difficult for us to understand why
we must relinquish it. Surrender has to do with completely
trusting the assurances of God’s Word that yielding to our
heavenly Father will bring forth real, significant, and eternal
blessings for us. Faith required for this type of surrender is
rooted in a love for God and in an acceptance of the fact that
He has promised we will receive back much more than we yield
to Him. (See, for example, Matthew 6:33; Mark 10:29–30; Luke
6:38.)
When we surrender our rights and needs to God, we will
receive back much more than we yield to Him.
In our society, we hear much about “rights” yet little about
responsibility and maturity. The fact is that we cannot expect
to have rights without fulfilling our responsibilities; and we
cannot assume responsibilities unless our character is mature.
If you fulfill your responsibilities in your relationship with God,
and if you yield your rights in order to do His will, you will be
able to claim the rights that Christ won for you by His
surrender and obedience on the cross of Calvary, where He
redeemed humanity from the curse of rebellion. Among those
rights—of which we are heirs (see Romans 8:17)—are
salvation, healing, deliverance, prosperity, peace, and joy.
Remember that we don’t have these rights by deserving them.
We have them only because they are given to us through
Christ.
 A person whose heart is surrendered to God has moved
beyond the natural realm in order to live in the supernatural.
The Surrendered Heart Activates the “Law of Exchange”
In the spiritual world, the “law of exchange” means the
following: The measure in which you die to “self” is the
measure in which God’s life will increase and manifest in you;
the measure in which you give of yourself to God, yielding to
Him through His grace, is the measure in which He will give of
Himself to you, with all His blessings. God will receive you if
you have surrendered to Him, so that you can receive Him
through the life and power that He “yields” to you.
We know that human beings have legitimate inherent rights
and needs, such as the right to life and to having their bodily
needs met—food, shelter, sleep, and so forth. However, when a
person surrenders to God and his life is centered on Christ, as
well as on the needs of other people, even these rights and
needs take second place. As John the Baptist said, “[Jesus]
must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Much of modern Christianity teaches that we will receive
God’s blessings “free of charge”—meaning, without any
responsibility on our part. This is a false mentality. Nothing is
free! Salvation is free for us solely because Christ paid the
price for sin—a price that was impossible for any human being
to pay. But salvation and every other aspect of a life of faith
require our surrender to God. Some people in the church want
all of God’s blessings without having to obey Him, submit to
Him, pray to Him, give tithes or offerings to Him, or seek His
face. They want to “use” God for their purposes, as if He were
in their employ, or as if He owed them something! They
maintain this attitude due to their erroneous ideas about God’s
grace.
Read what the apostle Paul wrote about his walk with God:
“By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward
me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they
all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1
Corinthians 15:10). Everything we receive from God is
according to His supernatural grace. However, that doesn’t
mean there is nothing for us to do; without our surrender and
personal participation in God’s purposes, the giving of that
grace would be in vain.
In the “law of exchange,” the measure in which we give of
ourselves to God is the measure in which He gives of Himself
to us.
The Surrendered Heart Is a Sign of Spiritual Maturity
God’s principles of blessing will therefore be effective in our
life as we surrender to Him our heart, our will, and our rights.
Many people want to automatically “fix” everything that’s
wrong in their life by using biblical principles as if they were
magic formulas. But God’s power doesn’t work that way.
Consequently, there are a number of people in the body of
Christ today who are frustrated because they think they are
applying biblical principles of prosperity, health, and other
areas, but they never see any results because they have not
fully surrendered to God. Many of these people live with the
immature attitude of a spoiled child who refuses to assume
responsibility for his actions but expects gifts and privileges
anyway.
 If implementing biblical principles were as simple as applying a
formula, there would be no difference between God’s principles
and the principles of magic, witchcraft, and other practices that
are anti-Christ and anti-surrender of the “self.” True
Christianity is about a relationship with our heavenly Father
that leads us to reflect His very nature and life. It is not about
speaking “magic words” through which we can achieve our
own purposes, regardless of how good those purposes might
seem.
The Surrendered Heart Freely Obeys and Yields by Choice
When we fully surrender “self,” our ongoing submission to
God will not seem offensive to us, because we will be acting
from our own free will. It won’t matter what we are called to do
or what sacrifice is involved—we will obey. We will serve God
joyfully out of love and deep conviction, without complaint.
The following is the testimony of a man named Frederic, who
describes the blessings he received by surrendering his heart
to God. He writes, “When I was a child, my father was a pastor.
My entire family was involved in the church, and I evangelized
with my mother. However, what I remember most was the way
my father would beat my sisters, my mother, and me. He was an
ex-member of the French Special Forces, with whom he had
served for many years in Indochina, and he had returned home
with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“He used to tell me, ‘Men don’t cry,’ then beat me as if he
were beating a soldier, saying that if I cried, he would kill me.
After the beatings, he would not allow my mother to take me to
the hospital or to tell anyone in the church about it, threatening
to kill her if she did. He would often drag her before me and
beat her while yelling, ‘What will you do, Son? Can you fight
me and defend your mother?’ He also taught me martial training
in which the objective of each movement was to break a bone
of, and/or to kill, one’s opponent. By the time I was ten years
old, I had suffered many fractures—of the teeth, nose, hip, ribs,
wrists, ankles, fingers, and toes—as well as countless head
injuries. In addition, my father raped and abused me until I
turned seventeen, when he realized that I was no longer a child,
and I almost killed him with his own technique.
“After that event, I was so afraid of what he would do that I
left home and never returned or spoke to him again. I sought
refuge with family members who had formed a criminal
organization. They took me in and used the hate that I carried
in my heart, and my fighting abilities, to do their dirty work.
When I turned twenty-one, I discovered that the man who had
raised me was not my biological father; he was my stepfather.
He and my mother had brought me up because of a promise
they had made to my real father, who had felt guilty for
abandoning me. I never met my real father because he was
killed only a few years before I discovered the truth. My world
crumpled beneath me. I was so angry that I even tried to
commit suicide by taking pills.
“I had money and fame, and I traveled from country to country
consuming drugs and alcohol. Every relationship I was in
failed. One day, my mother called to tell me that my stepfather
had committed suicide. That made me even angrier, because I
had waited many years for him to ask me to forgive him, and
now that would never happen.
 “In time, I met a Christian girl. We fell in love and moved in
together. A little while after that, I lost my job and, with it,
every opportunity to participate in the dirty work I had been
doing. My ties with organized crime ended, but I didn’t care
about anything, as long as I had the love of my woman. But
then she told me that God had ordered her to leave me because
we were going down different paths and she loved God more
than she loved anyone else.
“One night, realizing that she was not about to change her
mind, I cursed her, the church, and Apostle Maldonado. I
declared that if God wanted war, I would go against Him and
His church. But suddenly, and against my will, I fell to my
knees and spent the entire night crying. In my mind, I heard a
voice that said, Surrender! Later, I had a dream in which I was
in a room without doors, fighting against a very strong Man.
He fought me as if He knew every one of my moves,
anticipating all of my attacks. He hurt me so much that the pain
woke me. Then I heard a voice say, Surrender now, and allow
your heart to open up, so you can return to Me.
“The next day, I shared the dream with my girlfriend, and she
invited me to church. During the ministry part of the service,
tears began to flow from me. I felt very ashamed for crying in
front of all those people, because I remembered my stepfather’s
words that ‘men don’t cry.’ But I quickly stopped fighting it
and said out loud, ‘I surrender!’ At that moment, I felt my heart
come back to life, and I experienced an inner peace I didn’t
recognize. I felt God’s love, and my soul was full of joy.
“Since that day, my life has been totally transformed. I
apologized to the apostle, and he said to me, ‘You are my son,
and I love you.’ Those words repaired the negative image I had
of fathers, broke the curse of rejection, and even led me to
forgive my father and stepfather. For more than thirty years, my
heart had been as dead as a rock, but when I surrendered it to
God, He gave me a new heart and filled it with His love.”
For the person who is fully surrendered to God, obedience
and submission are not a “sacrifice” but a pleasure.
Attitudes That Can Hinder Surrender
Contrary to what many people think, surrender to God brings
peace, joy, and purpose into our life. Accordingly, negative
attitudes toward surrender and affirming attitudes toward
“self” will block our surrender to Him. In the last chapter, we
discussed how we cannot follow Christ and do His will if we
have a rebellious, disobedient heart that seeks to please the
sinful nature, or the “old man.” And, we saw that the only way
to “put off…the old man” (Ephesians 4:22) and to “put on the
new man” (Ephesians 4:24) is by crucifying the sinful nature.
In contrast, much of modern psychology and psychiatry
generally focuses on “improving” the self—not dying to it.
These branches of human knowledge don’t start or end with
God. They begin and end with “self,” or the human ego. They
are based on the idea that man is his own ultimate source, and
they place science in the position of supreme truth. However,
humans were not created to be “gods” or to make the intellect
their god.
These approaches are unable to deal effectively with the
problem of a person’s iniquity and heart corruption, and they
cannot transform a heart. Let’s further explore these themes by
looking at three popular concepts of “self-realization” that can
hinder our full surrender to God.
On the surface, the following concepts don’t appear to be
negative ideas. Yet, we will see that when they are taken to
their logical conclusions, they oppose God’s will because they
empower the fallen ego and lead people to focus on self.
Ultimately, therefore, they are substitutions for surrendering to
God. In contrast, Christ commands us to “crucify” the “self”
and the sinful nature, so that we will be able to genuinely love
God and other people and serve others in His name.
1. “Know Yourself”
The first concept is “know yourself.” We often hear this idea
in the media and from psychologists and counselors.
Discovering who we truly are is, of course, a good thing;
however, the idea here is generally to evaluate ourselves solely
in relation to ourselves and other human beings. If we do this,
we will always have a limited view of ourselves, and we will
miss the essence of who we are. We must see ourselves in the
light of our Creator and the way in which He has made us and
desires for us to live. To know ourselves in merely a human
sense gives us a temporal, earthly, fallen perspective of who
we were meant to be. Moreover, it does not tell us all that we
can become in Christ!
We are eternal beings. And, when we are born of God, we
become His children and begin the process of being conformed
to the image of His Son Jesus. We are transformed into the
likeness of the One who is the most beautiful, holy, pure
Person who ever lived. When we look at ourselves in Him, we
know who we really are—and what God’s transformation
process is making us into. Any other image than that is a
distortion of true humanity as God intended it to be.
2. “Accept Yourself Just as You Are”
This idea encourages people to accept everything about
themselves—good and bad—without feeling a need to change,
so that they adopt the perspective that says, “This is just who
I am.” But how can we accept the sinful nature, which is
addicted to fleshly desires, lies, unforgiveness, anger,
bitterness, strife, and many other evils? How can we accept
“self” when it is full of conflicts, contradictions, guilt, fear, and
egocentrism? To accept ourselves in such a state is
unthinkable! If you were somehow to stand outside of yourself
and then ask yourself if you could accept living under the
conditions I just described, your answer would certainly be an
emphatic no. Yet this is what people are being encouraged to
do. The saddest part of this situation is that when they try to
do this, many people find that they are unacceptable to
themselves. Life becomes unbearable to them.
At first, we might think that a diet of “self” and ego tastes
sweet and satisfying; but when we begin to digest our
selfishness, our “stomach,” or inner life, becomes bitter! This is
because we were created to surrender to God and to give of
ourselves for the sake of others. We were not made to merely
indulge our own desires and preferences.
Why do we become angry with other people? Often, it is
because they have interfered with what our “self” wanted.
Why do we lie? Because our “self” wants to maintain its
position, security, and reputation, no matter what. Why do we
participate in sexually immoral acts? Because we seek to please
the appetites of the corrupt “self.” Why do we experience
envy? Because someone else has received what our “self”
wanted. The aforementioned negative attitudes and sins are
merely the fruit of a “self” that refuses to surrender its control
to God. Lack of surrender is the root of many sins; the sins
themselves are external symptoms of the internal heart
condition. When we deal only with the symptoms, we show
that we are ignorant about the true culprit behind them.
Is it ever valid to “accept yourself”? Yes, when you have been
born again and your heart is being transformed continually by
the presence and power of God. For example, when someone
surrenders his heart to Christ for the first time and receives
salvation with the forgiveness of sins, he may say that he feels
a peace he has never experienced before. There is peace within
him because his spirit has been renewed in the image and
likeness of Christ, and the process of dying to his sinful nature
has begun. Only when we are being “transformed…from glory
to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18) can we be at peace with God and
with ourselves.
In contrast, to tell people to accept their old egocentric, selfish
nature is to ask them to deny the work of the cross and the
grace of transformation that are available through God’s Holy
Spirit. What would be the need for Jesus’ death and
resurrection if we could solve all our problems by just
accepting ourselves—sin and all—rather than by experiencing
the new birth and the tran
3. “Express Yourself”
The third concept, “express yourself,” also places the ego at
the center of life. Such an approach often feeds the sickness it
is trying to cure, because many of the problems that human
beings face are a consequence of expressing their own
selfishness and egocentrism to others. The “self” imposes its
needs (whether valid or invalid) on others, asserts its point of
view, and demands various rights and benefits.
Moreover, when the views and needs of a person’s ego run
counter to the sovereign will of the Creator, that individual will
reveal his rebellion as he expresses himself. “For out of the
abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). We live
in a society that generally accepts such practices as abortion,
homosexuality, and cohabitation as rights related to “freedom
of expression” and “diversity.” Yet, if someone expresses an
opinion against these practices, he is often regarded by others
as discriminatory. Because many people have enthroned the
ego in their heart, they are not willing to tolerate anyone who
points out that their behavior is against the will of God. They
resist being led toward repentance and surrender to the Father.
In fact, in many nations, it seems that the fallen human ego has
obtained so much clout that laws have been instituted to
defend it.
Surrender Leads to Deliverance
The major flaw in the foundation of the above three concepts
is their claim that the answer to people’s problems—such as
depression, emotional wounds, broken relationships, and
generational curses—is found within the “self.” But the true
solution to these issues is the transformation of the heart,
which comes by surrendering ourselves fully to God.
The crucified self is a blessing. It is a means of deliverance
that allows the “new man”—the redeemed and sanctified self—
to fulfill the charge of Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine; for your light
has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”
When we continually surrender to God, He continually works
in us and through us.
Clayton is a Haitian student who was trapped in drugs,
delinquency, and sexual immorality until he surrendered to an
invitation to return to faith in God. The following is his
testimony: “I come from a dysfunctional home, so I was raised
by my grandmother until I was ten. She took me to church and
taught me the fear of the Lord. However, when my parents
brought me to live with them, my life completely changed for
the worse. My father was a drug dealer, and I adopted his
lifestyle. I had weapons, girlfriends, money, and fame as a
motorcyclist—and my life was headed directly to perdition. I
grew up with such a perverted mentality that I even led my
friends to practice bestiality. The desire to have intimacy with
horses consumed me, even when I was with my girlfriend.
“On a certain occasion, some drug dealers placed a price on
my life and on my cousin’s life. We were really afraid. We were
under so much stress that we would smoke a quarter pound of
marijuana every night. I didn’t want to know who was going to
kill me, so I would make every effort not to be aware of
anything so I could stop thinking about it. I remember saying,
‘Christ or death!’ I used many different drugs, abused alcohol,
and viewed pornography. I lacked purpose, and I didn’t have a
way out. I was a waste of oxygen.
“When I turned eighteen, I didn’t want to live anymore, so I
decided I would take my own life. One day, I came across a girl
I knew who stopped and said, ‘Come with me. Let’s go to
church.’ She had given me the same invitation many times, and
I had always arrogantly refused. I don’t know why, but, that
time, I stood up and followed her. And, that day, I exited my
dark world and entered the light of God. As I crossed each
street on the way to the church, I felt as if the weight of the
world was being removed from my shoulders and was falling to
the ground. I have never looked back.”
Denying oneself in obedience to God is a sign of surrender to
Him.
Christ said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever
desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24–25). Is this command
hard to accomplish? It is—if we try to do it in our own
strength, rather than allowing God’s supernatural grace to work
in our heart so that we may fulfill it. Jesus’ admonition
demands total surrender, requiring everything of us, but it is
for our own well-being.
The issue is not really whether we will surrender ourselves but
to whom we will surrender. The sinful nature demands our full
surrender, too. It requires more than just our time, loyalty, trust,
resources, or service; it demands that we surrender to it—
spirit, soul, and body—in order to serve selfishness and
egocentrism on a path in which we will be consumed by sin
until we are ultimately destroyed.
The sinful nature demands that we surrender to it—spirit,
soul, and body—in order to serve selfishness and egocentrism,
which will ultimately destroy us.
We will never enter into the fullness of God’s presence, with
His anointing and power, unless our “self” surrenders. We will
never experience higher dimensions of God’s glory until our
ego dies. How much of God’s presence and glory do you
want? The degree to which you are willing to die to “self”
depends on the strength of your desire for more of God. The
person who is truly dead to his ego doesn’t have self-centered
desires, and he doesn’t fight with others over egocentric
matters. Instead, while death to “self” is taking place in him,
new dimensions of God’s glory are continually being revealed
to him.
Blessings and Benefits of Surrendering Our Heart to God
Let us now review the major blessings and benefits of
surrendering our heart to God.
1. The Heart Increasingly Becomes a Holy Dwelling Place
for God’s Presence
Surrendering our heart to God allows the Holy Spirit to work
His transformation in us. When we yield to God, we are
changed into genuine people. Our heart becomes transparent,
and we stop hiding from Him, which Adam and Eve did when
they sinned and forfeited their communion with their Creator.
(See Genesis 3:8.) The more we surrender to God and die to
“self,” the more God will fill us with His presence, so that we
become a holy dwelling place for Him. (See, for example,
Ephesians 2:19–22.)
2. We Are Able to Know the Lord Better and to Manifest His
Nature
Paul wrote, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the
excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus…; that I may
know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death”
(Philippians 3:8–10). There is no way to know God intimately—
no way to know His true person and nature—without
surrendering our egocentric heart, which is full of selfishness
and pride. Additionally, we will not be able to manifest God’s
likeness—thereby experiencing and manifesting our own true
nature—if we do not relinquish our self-centeredness.
Surrendering to God does not involve practicing religious
rituals, physically punishing ourselves for sin, or trying to
crucify the sinful nature in our own strength. It has to do with
yielding our will and placing “self”—with all of its demands
and rebellion—on the cross. We can live for God only by His
supernatural grace, but we can’t fully do that until we “die” by
grace, so that the life of Christ can rise in us as the “new man,”
redeemed from sin and death.
The area in which you are struggling is the area that you
have not surrendered to God. Surrender now!
3. We Receive a Greater Measure of God’s Power
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection”
(Philippians 3:10). Christ’s resurrection, with all its power,
occurred after He surrendered Himself to God, taking our sinful
nature on Himself on the cross so that we could be liberated
from sin and death. Similarly, a person who lives in full
surrender to God, continually denying the “self,” will always
carry within him a great measure of supernatural power. Most
men and women who have walked in God’s power have learned
to surrender to Him; they have understood that without
spiritual sacrifice and “the fellowship of [Christ’s] sufferings”
(Philippians 3:10), there can be no power. This principle was
signified in Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River.
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be
baptized by him. And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I
need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?” But
Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for
thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he
allowed Him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up
immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and alighting upon Him. (Matthew 3:13–16)
In the New Testament, the Greek word translated “Jordan”
comes from a Hebrew word meaning “a descender.” I believe
baptism in the Jordan River symbolized surrender to God,
which is the entrance to the supernatural, including the
working of miracles. Remember, the way “up” to God always
starts by going “down” in surrender and humility before Him.
Jesus was empowered by the Spirit after His baptism in the
Jordan River. (See Luke 4:1.) The Scriptures say, “God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with
power, who went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38).
A number of biblical events are connected with the Jordan
River. For example, in the Old Testament, the prophet Elisha
instructed Naaman of Syria to dip seven times in the Jordan to
be healed of his leprosy. At first, Naaman was offended and
suggested that he might bathe in superior rivers located in his
own nation. Those other rivers represent human ability rather
than God’s supernatural power. When Naaman was persuaded
by his servants to follow Elisha’s instructions, he was
completely healed. (See 2 Kings 5:1–14.) It was not the water of
the Jordan itself but Naaman’s obedience to God’s command
that brought about his miraculous healing.
When you surrender voluntarily to God, He will not deny you
His power; it is guaranteed!
Many Israelites chose to be baptized by John in the Jordan as
a sign of their repentance. (See, for example, Matthew 3:1–2, 5–
6.) Each new generation of people must come to their own
“baptism in the Jordan”—their own “descent” from pride and
self-sufficiency through surrender to God and yielding to His
will. Many people in today’s generation want a shortcut to
God’s power without having to surrender their will to Him or
having to die to “self.” Yet, to be empowered by God, we must
be willing to yield to Him. The reason Christ was anointed with
the Holy Spirit “without limit” (John 3:34 niv) is that He
continually surrendered to His Father.
We all need a Jordan experience, a place of surrender, before
we can receive a fresh anointing from God. Such power is
poured into an individual who is God’s “vessel,” someone who
has found his identity in Christ, so that he is enabled to
manifest the activity of the supernatural. Every time I surrender
a specific area of my life to God, I see His divine anointing
move into that area, and I experience an increase of His
supernatural power. This is a great benefit of surrender. As we
yield to God, we are enabled to heal, to deliver, and to believe
God for other miracles.
What are some areas in your life in which you need
empowerment? Are you willing to surrender your will to God in
regard to your relationships, your finances, your ministry, or
any other area about which God is speaking to you, in order to
be empowered as Jesus was?
The place/area of your life in which you yield your will to
God is the place/area in which you will be empowered.
The following testimony, by a man named David,
demonstrates the power of surrender. He writes, “My arrival at
King Jesus Ministry can be explained only as a supernatural
intervention of the living God. I started as the pastor of a
religious organization that did not believe in signs, wonders,
and miracles from God. However, my insatiable hunger for God
caused me to question that doctrine. Slowly, a series of events
led me to the revelation that there was much more for me than
what I had previously known. Several years later, while I was
praying, God spoke one word to me—a word that changed my
world by uprooting me and leading me to a place I had never
imagined going. That word was Miami.
“Encouraged by my wife, I explored the possibilities, and, a
short time later, we made the decision to resign from the church
where we had thought we would spend the rest of our lives,
and move to a city where we didn’t know anyone. We arrived
in sunny South Florida with ‘dreams and visions.’ Our plan
was to start our own church, but God’s plan was very different.
 “One Father’s Day, while I was praying and fasting and
seeking God’s will for our future, His audible voice came to me
with a specific order: ‘Go to King Jesus Ministry.’ We entered
the church anonymous and unnoticed but greatly enthusiastic.
I was so touched during the service that, for the first time in a
church environment, tears flowed down my cheeks. At a later
service, Apostle Maldonado spoke to my wife and me. He
asked us to set our dreams aside and receive training in order
to be sent out by King Jesus church to minister, and we
agreed.
“We had to surrender to God, allowing our old foundation to
be transformed. We let go of one mantle and received a new
one. We had a humble beginning, like that of a new believer.
The hardest decision to make was to give up my credentials as
a pastor from our previous organization, not knowing if I would
ever have that title again. God spoke to us about surrender, so
we followed His instructions, gave up control, and committed
to walk by faith in His will for our lives, disregarding the titles
and the status we’d formerly had, with the understanding that
God had a mission for us.
“In time, Apostle Maldonado ordained us because the Lord
had put it in his heart to do so. Ever since then, I have enjoyed
the privilege of traveling to the nations with him as part of his
team. We received everything we wanted for our ministry and
for our family because of our surrender. As we’ve lived a life of
surrender, God has opened many doors for us, and we are
active in the vision of the ministry. Now I understand what it
means to walk in the supernatural power of God, to cast out
demons, to set the oppressed free, and to heal the sick. My
wife and I are very happy to be at King Jesus church. We
hunger to move in God’s love in order to manifest His power
and to continue to do the work of His ministry, so that our lives
can bring other people closer to Him.”
Surrender involves letting God be God in and through us.
When you surrender to Him continually, you can give to
others out of what He has given to you. It should be the
passion of every believer to manifest God’s presence wherever
he goes and to be used by Him to heal the sick, win souls for
Christ, and set free the oppressed.
The level of anointing that operates in your life is
proportionate to your level of surrender.
A measure of God’s anointing is held back from us when we
have not fully surrendered our heart to Him. God has provided
divine anointing not only for healing, deliverance, and other
miracles but also for business, the arts, communications,
sports, and other fields. These anointings are waiting for God’s
people to fully yield their lives to their Creator. We receive
everything from God by His grace, but that grace is activated
through the surrender of our heart.
When Shane from Puerto Rico decided to surrender to God
and commit to Him once and for all, his life was transformed. He
writes, “During my childhood, I continually looked for love but
was unable to find it. I never met my biological father, and my
mother was in prison until I turned five. My brother, sister, and
I lived with our grandmother, and when my mother was
released from prison, she came to live with us, but she was
battling a drug addiction that kept her away from me time and
time again. She spent nights as a prostitute, smoked crack,
used cocaine and heroin, and was constantly in and out of jail.
“When I turned seven, my mother called a taxi so she could go
and buy drugs, but when the taxi arrived and she got into it, I
jumped onto the hood of the car and begged her not to go,
because I knew she would not return for months. The
Department of Children and Families opened an investigation
into our family and decided to take away my mother’s custody
of my siblings and me. From the ages of ten to fourteen, I lived
separated from my siblings and grandmother. When I was
fourteen, one of my cousins adopted me; but when I was
seventeen, for lack of money, he threw me out into the streets.
“I lived in the streets, left school, and started using drugs. I
would sleep in my sister’s car. I remember saying to the Lord,
‘Father, I need help because I don’t know in what direction my
life is heading.’ For two years, I lived a lifestyle of immorality,
alcohol, and drugs. Every morning, the Spirit of God would tell
me to change my life; otherwise, the only thing I had waiting
for me was death and destruction.
“The homeowner where I then lived was a Christian, and one
day she said to me, ‘I don’t know what you are doing with your
life, but you have to change; otherwise, you will not live with
me for much longer.’ At that moment, Jesus spoke to me and
said, Let go of all your fears. I am with you. I opened up the
Bible and read a Scripture about God guiding the children of
Israel through the desert, and essentially saying to them,
‘Remember when you didn’t have shoes for your feet or
clothes on your back or food to eat? I was there. I took care of
you and prepared the way.’ The Spirit of God fell upon me, and
I began to cry in His presence. The next day, I went to King
Jesus International Ministry, where I surrendered my life to
God. Since that day, He has filled me with His love, joy, and
peace and has transformed me. I have known the love of the
Father through everything that I have learned in this ministry. I
earned my high school diploma, obtained a full-time job, and
am currently attending college. God restored my life, and I live
to preach the gospel of Christ and to share His love with the
world.”
Consequences of Refusing to Surrender to God
There are many blessings related to surrendering to God. But
there are also consequences for those who refuse to surrender
to Him. Let us review several of them.
1. The person who refuses to surrender to God
never advances in the process of heart
transformation—or he stalls somewhere in the
midst of that process. He becomes conformed to
“self,” so he does not grow and mature in Christ
and, consequently, reflects a distorted image of
God. If he is a believer, he may even begin to walk
away from the Lord.
2. The person who refuses to surrender to God
suffers an inability to believe in His promises and
to access His supernatural power. In practical
terms, the individual’s only reality will be the
natural realm, and he will always feel dissatisfied
because he will live outside the spiritual
atmosphere in which he could receive and
 experience the life and blessings of God.
3. The person who refuses to surrender to God
cannot carry out his true purpose in life. He is
unable to hear what the Lord is saying to him, and
he is distracted by interests that are not aligned
with God’s will for him.
4. The person who refuses to surrender to God
often experiences friction in his relationships.
Because he has not died to “self” and subdued
the sinful nature, he continues to feed his
selfishness and stubbornness. Consequently, his
family ties, friendships, and other associations
may become severely strained. His may even
experience the breakup of his family.
Surrender is one of the means by which we have access to,
and can appropriate, the power of God.
God will sometimes use adverse circumstances in people’s
lives to cause them to seek Him and to surrender to His will, so
that they may receive His blessings. For instance, though He
never causes sickness, He may use sickness to draw
someone’s attention to Him. This is what happened to a
woman named Vanessa. When she was seven years old, she
began to suffer from uterine bleeding. By the time she was
fifteen, she had already undergone several surgeries. When
she was twenty-one, the doctors diagnosed her with uterine
cancer. She had quarterly medical examinations and eventually
underwent a hysterectomy. But then she began to suffer
frequent dizziness, and she was later diagnosed as having
multiple sclerosis.
Then she met one of the leaders of our church, who invited her
to our New Year’s Eve service. That day, I preached about our
supernatural God who can heal any sickness and change any
adverse circumstance. Vanessa returned home angry. She was
furious with God because she didn’t consider herself a sinner,
and she had prayed and sought God for healing; yet, instead of
improving, her body kept getting weaker and weaker.
Then she cried out to God with a surrendered heart, asking
Him to show her that He is real. She made a covenant with Him,
saying, “If You heal me, my children and I will always serve
You.” The following Monday, she went to a doctor’s
appointment to have a test related to the multiple sclerosis. The
technicians kept repeating the test, and she was there for four
hours. She was told that the machine was broken, because they
couldn’t find anything wrong with her; yet even when they
used another machine, the results were the same. Vanessa went
home upset with the doctors, but when she went for an
appointment with her oncologist, something similar happened.
The doctor took biopsies, and four doctors reviewed the
results of the tests. Finally, her doctor said, “Vanessa, I don’t
see anything.” When she was back at home, alone in her
bedroom, she started to cry. She was broken and grateful,
recognizing that the supernatural power of God had healed all
of her sicknesses.
Christ is Lord of your life only in those areas that you have
surrendered to Him.
 Qualities of the Surrendered Heart
When an individual has a surrendered heart, he manifests the
following qualities:
The person with a surrendered heart is quick to
respond to God and to answer Him. He does not
doubt God or stubbornly resist Him, because his
internal struggle with “self” has diminished, and
his obedience is usually immediate.
The person with a surrendered heart always says
yes to what God asks. This response leads him to
be in God’s perfect will and to receive all His
blessings without restriction.
The person with a surrendered heart yields to
change. He has a willing spirit that allows the
Holy Spirit to continuously transform his heart,
leading him to reflect Christ’s nature and to help
establish God’s kingdom on the earth.
The person with a surrendered heart worships
God as an act of submission and love, not out of
a sense of obligation. He knows the reality of
David’s prayer, “In your presence is fullness of
joy; at Your right hand are pleasures
forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Prayer of Surrender to God
Surrendering to God is a personal decision that must be made
feely and continuously in every area of our life—daily, weekly,
monthly, and yearly. It is a choice that no one else can make for
us—not our spouse, children, siblings, church leaders, or
friends. Therefore, the best thing I can do now to encourage
you to yield to God is to offer you a prayer that, of your own
free will, you can pray in surrender to Him. Use the following
prayer as a pattern for your daily surrender. Yield your whole
life, including your spouse, children, friendships, career,
finances, health, thoughts, dreams, and emotions. Do it right
now, and continue to do it every day. Surrender is not always
easy, especially at first, because as soon as you choose to die
to “self” and the sinful nature, the “old man” will rebel and
want to retake the throne of your heart. Thus, in order to
surrender, you need to rely on God’s supernatural grace, which
goes beyond your own strength! He will give you His grace as
you trust in Him.
Father, in the name of Jesus, I open my heart to You. I want
more of Your presence, anointing, and power. Right now, I
surrender my will to You and crucify the “self.” I declare that I
am dead to “self” and the sinful nature so that I can do Your
will. I surrender to obey Your Word and to follow the direction
of Your Spirit. I am being transformed into the image of Christ,
who is the perfect Man. I pledge to be under spiritual authority
and not to rebel against You or Your delegated authorities. In
the name of Jesus, I submit everything I have and everything I
am to You, asking You to be Lord and Master of all. I yield my
life to You and choose to let You be in full control. Amen!
Prayer for Salvation and Transformation
If you have never before opened your heart to Jesus, allowing
Him to enter and to be your Lord and Savior, and allowing God
to fill you with His Spirit, I want to give you another
opportunity to do so right now. You will not be able to fully
surrender your heart to God or have access to His blessings
and promises until His Spirit is dwelling in you. God will give
you the supernatural grace to do, according to His will, what
you cannot do in your own strength. Repeat the following
prayer and yield your heart to the Lord today.
Heavenly Father, I recognize that I am a sinner and that my sin
separates me from You. My heart is in need of transformation,
which only You can accomplish. I believe that Jesus died on
the cross for me and that You raised Him from the dead. I
confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I repent of all my
sins and break every evil covenant I have made with the world,
with my sinful nature, and with the devil. According to the
power of Jesus’ sacrifice for me, I break all generational curses
operating in my life. Now, I make a new covenant of
righteousness with Jesus. I ask Jesus to come into my heart
and to change my life, filling me with the Holy Spirit. If I were to
die right now, I know I would be in Your presence when I
opened my eyes in eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen!
9
 The Broken Heart

In the last two chapters, we’ve discussed the obedient heart

and the surrendered heart. Yet what happens when we persist
in going against God’s will, refusing to surrender to His plan
for our life or a specific area of it? Continuing to rebel against
God has a high price—the price of spiritual brokenness. In
some cases, for those who harden their heart and maintain their
resistance to Him, the price is spiritual ruin.
Many people know they are rebelling against God as they live
an immoral lifestyle, ignore God’s call on their life, refuse to
submit to a specific command He has given, or disobey Him in
some other way. They function according to their own terms
and standards, resisting the purposes of their Creator.
Often, while people are in this state of resistance, they believe
they can escape God’s chastisement and correction. Yet God
disciplines and corrects those whom He loves. (See, for
example, Proverbs 3:12.) It is much better for us to willingly
submit to our heavenly Father than to have to experience
brokenness—either by way of the destructive circumstances
we’ve created for ourselves or by a direct intervention of our
merciful God, who sometimes has to “break” His disobedient
children for their own good. The Lord always has our best
interests in mind in His dealings with us. As the writer of
Hebrews said, “We have all had human fathers who
disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more
should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!”
(Hebrews 12:9 niv).
 Transformation Through Brokenness
There may also be times when we experience a period of
brokenness not because we are in active rebellion against God
but because we are battling a difficult situation in life, such as
an illness, a deep sense of hopelessness, or the distressing
behavior of a wayward child. Other times, we may go through
brokenness because God desires to instruct us about an aspect
of His nature and ways. The hardest periods of my life have
been the times when God has “broken” me. While I am in the
midst of the process, I don’t always understand why it needs
to happen; however, I understand and appreciate it once it is
over. “No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but
painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of
righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews
12:11).
After we have been broken, our priorities change, and what
matters most to us is God. Each time I have undergone
brokenness and submitted to my heavenly Father, I have
received greater spiritual freedom and blessing. My heart has
been transformed: My passion to please God and to do His will
has increased. I have experienced deeper inner peace and a
greater sense of fulfillment. I have become more sensitive and
humble, and I have become more willing to recognize my
dependency on God. I am more teachable and forgiving. I also
produce more fruit in my personal and ministerial life. But,
above all, I experience a greater hunger and thirst for God,
leading me to higher levels of surrender and a closer
relationship with Him.
 “Unconditional Surrender”
We all have areas in our life over which we know we haven’t
given God full control. Yet, instead of yielding those areas to
our Creator and Lord, we often argue with Him about them! At
times, we justify our sins, thinking that because we have been
trying to overcome a certain weakness for a long time, without
apparent results, there is nothing more that we can do about it.
We become spiritually stagnant in that area and no longer give
it to God or seek transformation. When this is the case, we
reveal that a degree of complacency, independence,
selfishness, unbelief, and/or rebellion is still operating in us.
The Lord doesn’t want us to remain in a condition that keeps
our heart and mind from being united with His, preventing us
from doing His will and experiencing all the blessings He
desires for us. And brokenness of heart is often the means God
has to use to deal with our stubbornness, pride, and other
obstacles that are in the way of our total obedience to, and
trust in, Him. Brokenness is a painful condition in which we
realize there is nothing within us that can help or save our
situation—and sometimes even our life. Our only help is to
submit to the love and lordship of Christ. In that place, our
heart no longer tries to argue, reason, or excuse itself before
God. We have arrived at the point where we are willing to yield
to Him and to obey Him without reservation. We come before
God under terms of “unconditional surrender.”
The Gift of Brokenness
Regardless of the reason for our brokenness or what form it
takes in our life, we can know this: As painful as it is,
brokenness is a gift, because it allows us an opportunity to
return to God and/or to know Him in a deeper way. The
illustration of the loving and generous father in the parable of
the prodigal son is a picture of our heavenly Father’s attitude
toward us when we go through brokenness. Just as in the
parable, the Lord welcomes us back with open arms when we
step back onto the path that leads home to Him. (See Luke
15:11–24, 32.)
The heart of our heavenly Father longs for His children to turn
from their rebellion and to draw near to Him. His heart is
reflected in Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem—over the hardened
and indifferent hearts of the people: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent
to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as
a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing!” (Matthew 23:37). When our heart is hardened or
indifferent, God will allow us to experience brokenness for the
purpose of renewing us, so that the transformation of our heart
into the image of Christ may continue.
Every human being who surrenders to God during the process
of brokenness has a breaking point—a point at which he
recognizes the inadequacy of his own strength and resources
and finally yields his heart to the God of unlimited strength and
resources. In today’s vernacular, reaching the “breaking point”
is sometimes referred to as “touching rock bottom” or “eating
dust.” Some people reach that point faster than others. Certain
people yield only after enduring adversity or suffering the
consequences of their rebellion for a long period of time.
A man named Frank experienced a brokenness that led him to
rethink his decision to walk away from God. He writes, “I grew
up in Cuba experiencing lack in basic areas of my physical life,
such as food and health. From the age of two, I suffered from
chronic asthma attacks. Many times, I would arrive at the
hospital on the edge of death. I was also emotionally deprived.
My relationship with my parents was hell. They fought with
each other every day, and the yelling and violence were
unbearable. When I was eleven years old, my parents divorced.
My father left the country with the intention of bringing us out
someday. His departure caused me great pain.
“One night, I went with my mother to a church, and together
we accepted Jesus as our Savior. Immediately, we began to
enjoy a personal relationship with Him and to serve Him. But,
at age fifteen, I walked away from Jesus completely. I lost my
relationship with God, and sin took over my life. By the time I
was seventeen, my life was in chaos. I was rebellious and
prideful and refused to listen to reason. I felt alone, rejected,
helpless, and miserable, and I reached the point where I
considered taking my own life. I tried to fill the void in my heart
with sex and popularity, but nothing worked. However, my
mother was praying for me.
“At the peak of my desperation, I began to seek God’s face,
and I made a firm commitment to serve Him, regardless of the
price. Little by little, God began to set me free, and I started to
feel His presence once more. Later, my father was able to bring
us out of Cuba, and we came to the United States. Here, God
gave me a wonderful church with the best spiritual parents. He
healed me of asthma and restored my relationship with my
father. I also met the most beautiful woman I had ever seen,
and God joined us in marriage with the purpose of serving Him
together.
“Two years later, she became pregnant. Our joy was
immeasurable! When she was three months along, we went for
a routine appointment at the obstetrician’s office, where we
expected to hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time, but
everything suddenly changed. The doctor told us that the
baby was dead. After the initial shock, we returned to our car
and began to pray. While we prayed, the Father’s embrace
comforted and healed our hearts. Later, God gave us two
precious children who fill our hearts.”
We must remember that God doesn’t cause sickness or death.
However, He can use the brokenness that difficult situations
produce to draw us closer to Him. And, if we have rebelled
against God, He can enable our hardened heart to once again
become sensitive to Him and to surrender to His purposes.
Brokenness means going to God under terms of
“unconditional surrender.”
The Broken Heart Versus the Wounded Heart
To understand brokenness, it is essential to know the
difference between a heart that has been “broken” and a heart
that is emotionally wounded. Many people tend to think they
are the same thing, but these conditions are opposites in
regard to the heart’s openness to God, willingness to be taught
by Him, and ability to receive healing.
A person with a broken heart humbles himself, surrenders to
God, and gives up his will in order to do God’s will. His focus is
no longer on his own problems and needs but on God alone as
his Source and Sustainer. In contrast, a person with a wounded
heart is usually centered on himself rather than on God. The
troubles he has experienced may have been self-inflicted, or
they may have been imposed on him by others. Regardless of
how his difficulties occurred, the character of his heart has
been infected with self-pity and bitterness. His heart has open
sores that continue to bleed and to cause pain.
It is said that the most dangerous animal is a wounded animal,
because it is always on the defensive. It rejects being helped,
and no one can approach it without being injured. When
people have been wounded, they are often unable to trust
others, and they try to protect themselves from everything and
everyone whom they perceive might hurt them. Consequently,
they have few, if any, close relationships.
In the realm of the church, I believe that the most “dangerous”
people are wounded pastors and other leaders, because they
often preach, teach, and minister out of their emotional pain
rather than from knowledge and revelation of what Christ
wants to say to His church. A wounded leader is unable to be a
clear channel through which God’s anointing can flow.
Additionally, I believe that those who are emotionally
wounded can attract demons that desire to control and even
dwell in their heart. If you are a pastor, a teacher, an evangelist,
or another type of church leader, and you find yourself hurting
other people spiritually, mentally, or emotionally, it is probably
because you have been emotionally and/or spiritually
wounded and have never resolved the pain in your heart.
While we all have to deal with various emotional and spiritual
issues, I don’t believe God wants a leader to be ministering to
others if he is in a state of woundedness. He wants leaders to
serve His people in a state of spiritual health, with “the fruit of
the Spirit”—“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23
niv).
Consequently, wounded people should not be placed in
positions of leadership or active service until they have been
healed of their pain, because little good will come out of their
ministry otherwise. For example, I have seen pastors use the
pulpit to verbally attack other people, divulge an individual’s
private business, seek revenge, or defend their personal
situations—all in God’s name. The pulpit is too holy to be used
to attack and slander other people or to defend oneself. Pastors
who are acting in this manner must repent and seek emotional
healing. Their hearts must be transformed before they can
continue ministering to God’s people.
Moreover, wounded leaders usually produce other wounded
leaders, because we often pass along our attitudes to those
whom we mentor. Sadly, there are currently many believers in
churches who are experiencing spiritual and emotional pain and
bitterness of heart because they have been led by wounded
leaders who have—intentionally or unintentionally—
mistreated and/or hurt them. These believers have not been
properly formed, trained, or equipped in Christlikeness. And
many of them may remain wounded unless someone is
available to lead them to restoration.
A wounded leader often hurts those whom he is leading.
God seeks those whose hearts are broken so that He can
manifest to them His love, His glory, His power, and His
kingdom. Although He desires to heal the person who has a
wounded heart before he continues hurting himself and others,
He knows that the person with a broken heart is ready to be
helped because he has reached the end of the line in terms of
his own strength and ability. And God is ready and willing to
provide that help: “The Lord is near to those who have a
broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm
34:18).
God seeks those whose hearts have been broken
and are ready to be healed.
The following testimony, from a man named Faiber, illustrates
how God can use our deep brokenness to draw us to Him, so
that we may be healed of our woundedness. “My mother was a
young lady with no one to defend her,” says Faiber, who was
born as the result of a rape. Faiber grew up lonely, without love
or a father figure. People called him “Faiber the bastard,” and
he would beg his mother to find a husband so that he could
have a father to love. When he was seven, his mother got
married, and Faiber thought that his dream had come true.
However, he hadn’t counted on the violence, drunkenness,
and prostitution this man would bring into their lives.
When Faiber finished school, he decided to leave home, but
he didn’t get very far, because the bad habits he picked up
took over his life. Faiber lived on the streets for six months. In
addition to abusing drugs and alcohol, he became involved
with married women—one after another, until he lost track. The
beatings he received at the hands of their husbands often
landed him in jail or the hospital.
One night, a ministry took him in. For a week, this ministry fed
and cared for him. At the end of the week, he was presented
with two options: either return to the streets or go on a spiritual
retreat. Although he didn’t want anything to do with God, he
decided to make a covenant with Him; otherwise, he knew that
his next—and last—step was suicide.
Faiber began a new life in Christ, and everything changed. He
embarked on a career and got married. In time, he came to King
Jesus Ministry, where God restored his marriage. The Lord
provided better jobs for Faiber and his wife, as well as a new
home. Today, they work hard to facilitate the supernatural
restoration of marriages and families that are in need of God’s
healing power. Faiber had to touch bottom before he
surrendered his heart to God and allowed Him to transform his
life—healing him, restoring him, giving him a family, and
providing him with a sense of purpose.
Let Go, so that You May Receive
Perhaps God is dealing with you right now, prompting you to
surrender to Him. Is it because you are running away from His
call on your life? Is it in regard to your irresponsible spending
habits? Is it your refusal to submit to His delegated
authorities? Is it your lack of commitment to His kingdom
purposes? Or could it be your anger, laziness, or fear? The
Father searches our heart; He knows the areas of our life where
we are rebelling against Him or where we are unaligned with
His will. He reminds us of those areas so that we will yield to
Him, and He can transform our heart. If we don’t surrender, we
may find ourselves undergoing the process of brokenness.
The sinful nature pushes us to live a self-centered life,
independent of God, in which we seek absolute control—
trusting in our own intelligence, education, social status,
strengths, gifts, abilities, and so forth. Our “self” rejects the
idea of surrendering our life wholeheartedly to the lordship of
Christ. The “old man” tries to satisfy its corrupt desires rather
than die to its destructive impulses.
Yet you don’t need to hold on to anything that God wants to
remove from your life, because He will never give you anything
evil in exchange for it. He desires to bless you. Again, He
doesn’t inflict sickness, poverty, or oppression on us. He is the
Father of all good things: “Every good gift and every perfect
gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James
1:17). Yet, as we have seen, God does allow us to face difficult
circumstances in order to bring to our attention various
obstacles that prevent us from loving Him and giving Him
control over our life. You will never lose out if you yield
everything to the Lord. Rather, you will win God Himself—with
all His attributes and blessings!
The hardest people to break are the stubborn and the
prideful.
Avenues of Brokenness
When God breaks us, He often focuses on one area at a time
that is unaligned with His nature and purposes. Generally
speaking, He will bring to our attention something that has
usurped first place in our heart over Him or that is otherwise
hindering us from doing His will. It might be a negative
attitude, a destructive habit, an ungodly pursuit, or an
unhealthy relationship—something or someone that is harmful
to us but that we won’t let go of. Let us look at three avenues
through which the process of brokenness can occur.

1. The Painful Consequences of Sin

God never causes us to sin, and He doesn’t want us to sin
against Him. Yet when we choose to disobey Him, we create
situations and reap consequences that—sooner or later—
cause us to become spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and/or
physically broken. In this scenario, our brokenness is
produced by our own willful disobedience. There are always
consequences for disobedience—especially sustained
rebellion. Due to the fallout from our sin, we come to a
“breaking point” in our life. When we reach this point and
make a genuine decision to repent and to return to God, He
extends His love and forgiveness to us and restores our
relationship with Him. It is important to cooperate with the Lord
when we undergo the process of brokenness. David wrote,
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a
contrite heart; these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm
51:17).

2. A Crisis We Are Unable to

Resolve
 On occasion, God will allow situations to come into our life
that are outside our capacity to resolve, so that He can meet us
at our breaking point with His salvation, mercy, and grace. We
may experience a financial emergency, a family crisis, the loss
of something valuable to us, or another predicament. After we
exhaust all our resources—our knowledge, wisdom, strength,
talents, and other abilities—without finding an acceptable
solution, we finally have to conclude that the situation is
beyond us. At such a time, we have an opportunity to submit
to God, acknowledge our weakness and need, and allow Him to
work out the situation as He sees fit.
3. God’s Direct Dealing with Our Heart
Sometimes, God deals directly with our heart through His Holy
Spirit, bringing conviction and causing us to search ourselves
to see how we have strayed from Him. At such times, He leads
us to repentance and submission to His will. His ultimate goal
is for us to trust in Him alone, not in any earthly power,
strength, or resources. We can describe this avenue of
brokenness as a sovereign act of God that leads us to
recognize His lordship, power, and majesty. An excellent
example of this form of brokenness is the biblical account of
Jacob wrestling all night with a “Man” who, at daybreak,
touched the socket of Jacob’s hip, causing him to limp. The
“Man” with whom Jacob was wrestling was God Himself. (See
Genesis 32:24–32.) Because of Jacob’s stubbornness, the Lord
had to break him.
God uses different ways to break us for the purpose of
transforming our heart. In the following testimony, a man
named Emerson had to reach the point of brokenness before he
finally surrendered control of his life to God. He writes, “To put
it simply, while my wife had been living as a faithful Christian,
my job had become my god; it was my life. Then, we both lost
our jobs and found ourselves in serious financial trouble. We
lost our home and our car, and we didn’t have enough money
even to buy food.
“My wife and I attended church at King Jesus Ministry. Yet I
was depressed, afraid, and angry, not knowing what to do,
because we still couldn’t find work. One day, I heard a sermon
about the mercy of Jesus and realized that during this entire
time, the only thing I had really needed was Christ in my life.
Another time, I was resting after having straightened the chairs
in the church when Pastor Maldonado came to me and asked
me how I was doing. I said I was ‘fine,’ but he insisted on
knowing how I was really doing. I started to cry and told him
everything that was happening. He ministered to me for forty-
five minutes; that time was very valuable to me.
“Later, the church’s Department of Human Resources
contacted me. Three months after that, I was offered a job
downtown. However, on the day I was supposed to start, I
received a phone call from the new company saying that they
couldn’t hire me. My burden was so great that I couldn’t carry
it on my own. I decided to give it to Jesus, so that He could
work it out according to His will. One hour later, I received a
call from the church asking if I was interested in working for
their IT Department on a contract basis. My wife also started to
work part-time in the school that is sponsored by the ministry.
“Six months later, I began working full-time as a network
administrator at the ministry, and my wife was hired full-time as
a teacher. The supernatural provision came. In addition, God
miraculously provided several months’ worth of payments that
I had owed on my car loan. The bank told me that I was up-to-
date on my payments, although I knew I had not made a
payment for four months. Now, God is working to help us to
modify our mortgage.
“Our lives have completely changed. I used to be upset all the
time, unhappy, arrogant, and antisocial. I thought I knew it all,
and I neglected my family, so that my marriage was going
downhill. I wasn’t spending time with my son, and I had no
friends. Furthermore, I was being a poor steward of the things
God had given to me. I didn’t have a future or a relationship
with Jesus, and I was on a path straight to hell. Now, I have a
beautiful relationship with Jesus, with my wife, and with my
son. My financial situation has been restored—thanks to
divine intervention and not to my natural abilities. Brokenness
led me to understand that without Jesus, I can do nothing.”
When a person is broken by God, his life is in transition
to positive change.
Resisting God: The Case Study of Jonah
The story of the prophet Jonah is a good illustration of the
way God may work when someone resists His will and then
manifests stubbornness even during the process of being
broken. Jonah eventually obeyed God, but he still had heart
issues that needed to be addressed. God had told Jonah to do
something very important, but he had his own opinion about
the situation. He therefore ignored God’s command and “ran
away,” trying to hide from the Creator of the world. Here is his
story:
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,
saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out
against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But
Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish;
so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to
Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. (Jonah 1:1–3)
Jonah was angry with the people of Nineveh because they
were fierce warriors who had attacked the Israelites.
Consequently, Jonah wanted to see them punished and
destroyed. In contrast, God in His mercy (see Jonah 4:2, 11)
had commanded Jonah to go and warn the Ninevites that He
would soon punish them for their wickedness, in order to give
them an opportunity to repent and be delivered. However,
Jonah’s resentment and hate were apparently greater than his
love, so that he quickly decided to disobey the Lord’s
instructions.
Has God ever asked you to do something for another person
with whom you didn’t get along? What did you do? Did you
choose to disobey God? Sometimes anger, resentment, and
hate will carry more weight in our heart than the fear of the
Lord.
Let us examine, step-by-step, how the Lord brought Jonah’s
heart to brokenness, and what He told Jonah after the prophet
stubbornly held on to his resentful attitude even then.

1. God Sent a Storm

 “The Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a
mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be
broken up” (Jonah 1:4). Because of Jonah’s rebellion, it was
necessary for God to use the process of brokenness to turn
him around. Even in the midst of a terrible storm in which his
life was in jeopardy, Jonah apparently wasn’t moved to repent
and obey God. He preferred to die at sea rather than preach to
his enemies about turning from their wicked ways.
Jonah didn’t realize that God was dealing with h i s heart—not
just the hearts of the Ninevites. The Lord wanted to transform
the prophet’s heart to be like His own heart, and to teach him
to “let God be God.” Similar situations occur today. Many
people don’t recognize that God is dealing with them to love
others in the midst of a circumstance in which they feel they
have been unjustly treated, because they think they are in the
right and the other people are in the wrong and therefore
deserve to be punished by God.
The account in the book of Jonah continues, “Then the
mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his
god….But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the
ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep” (Jonah 1:5). The
crew of the ship eventually discovered that Jonah was the
cause of the storm. Jonah told them that if they threw him
overboard, the storm would cease. The sailors didn’t want to
kill Jonah, but, after trying to row against the storm
unsuccessfully, they finally threw him overboard, asking God
to forgive them. Instantly, the storm disappeared. (See Jonah
1:6–16.)
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a storm caused
by someone who was trying to run away from God? Is your
own rebellion against God creating a storm for the people close
to you, so that you are putting them at risk spiritually,
emotionally, mentally, physically, or financially? Could this be
the cause of your marital problems? Could this be the reason
your business is on the brink of capsizing? Could this be the
explanation for why your ministry or church is unable to stay
afloat? When we run away from God and what He has asked us
to do, we often cause our own brokenness, affecting not only
ourselves but also other people in our life.

2. God Prepared a Large Fish

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three
nights” (Jonah 1:17). What was God’s purpose for having a
large fish swallow Jonah? He had arranged for Jonah’s
temporary confinement there in order to break the prophet’s
rebellious will. Jonah spent three full days and nights inside
that fish, contemplating his condition and reconsidering his
attitude. The fact that Jonah didn’t die inside the fish shows
that God was in complete control of the situation. He wanted to
bring Jonah to brokenness in order to transform his heart—not
kill him. He wanted the prophet to repent and fulfill His will by
preaching in Nineveh.
The Scriptures say that, after three days, “Jonah prayed to
the Lord his God from the fish’s belly” (Jonah 2:1). He made a
covenant with the Lord, saying, “I will sacrifice to You with
the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed”
(Jonah 2:9). Note that Jonah surrendered to God when he
believed the end of his life was near; only then did he make a
covenant with the Lord. Have you known people who have
turned to God only when they came to the very end of the line?
Are you in that situation right now?
Imagine Jonah inside the belly of that fish, with its gastric
juices and odor! How sad it is that only then did the prophet
come to the point where he decided to obey God. Even so,
Jonah’s heart still needed additional softening in relation to
Nineveh. Perhaps Jonah repented to the extent that he wanted
his relationship with God restored—but not fully enough to
appreciate God’s mercy toward Israel’s enemies.
Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and proclaimed God’s
impending judgment throughout the city of Nineveh. What
happened next? The whole city repented, and God spared
them. (See Jonah 3:5–10.) “Then God saw their works, that
they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the
disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He
did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). Jonah was angry with this
outcome, telling God that the reason he hadn’t wanted to
preach to the Ninevites in the first place was that he knew the
Lord would have mercy on them! “For I know that You are a
gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in
lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah
4:2). Following this, Jonah went outside the city of Nineveh
and sat down, apparently to see if God might still destroy it. It
was a hot day, and Jonah made himself a makeshift shelter from
the sun. (See Jonah 4:5.)
3. God Prepared a Worm
The Lord continued to deal with the state of Jonah’s heart by
using an object lesson:
And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up
over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him
from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But
as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and
it so damaged the plant that it withered. (Jonah 4:6–7)
The plant had given Jonah shade, and he was irritated that the
worm had destroyed it. (See Jonah 4:8–9.) Furthermore, in his
anger over his assignment to Nineveh, Jonah couldn’t see the
fact that the Ninevites were as much God’s creation as the
Israelites were. He was more concerned about one plant being
ruined than he was about the impending destruction of a whole
city of people. He didn’t care that God loved these Ninevites,
even though they had been hostile to His chosen people, the
Israelites.

4. God Prepared a Scorching Wind

“And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a
vehement [“scorching” niv, nasb] east wind; and the sun beat
on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death
for himself, and said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live’”
(Jonah 4:8). A “scorching wind” represents a life situation that
takes away our strength and/or causes us to feel defeated. God
allows such things to occur so that we might reach a point of
brokenness in which we will permit Him to transform our heart
and straighten our path in life, enabling us to walk once more in
His perfect will.
Jonah didn’t understand that God wanted to call the Ninevites
to repentance because He knew that they were ignorant
concerning Him. The Lord tried to make His prophet
understand His mercy toward those whom Jonah considered
his enemies: “You have had pity on the plant for which you
have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night
and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that
great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty
thousand persons who cannot discern between their right
hand and their left…? (Jonah 4:10–11). When we are unable to
show mercy toward those who attack us out of ignorance, God
may break us so we can feel as He feels and love as He loves.
As long as we continue to resist God, He will pursue us and
cause us to come to the end of our own strength. We
sometimes forget that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). What did Jonah’s
rebellion cost him and other people? First, I’m sure it cost him a
guilty conscience, which takes a great toll on a person. Second,
his delay caused him to waste time and opportunities for
serving God. Third, he put the lives of all the sailors on the
boat in danger. Fourth, he went through the painful process of
being broken. Finally, worst of all, he strained his relationship
with God. The cost of rebellion is similar for us—a guilty
conscience; missed opportunities for obedience and service to
God; the placing of our family, business, possessions, and so
forth at risk of spiritual, emotional, mental, or physical harm;
the experience of brokenness; and, above all, the fracturing of
our relationship with our heavenly Father.
No one can rebel against God without paying a high price.
The following testimony illustrates how God comes to us in
our brokenness and invites us to be transformed. Alexander’s
heart was full of hate and pain, and he believed that reacting in
anger was the way for him to relate to people and situations.
He writes, “Ephesians 4:26, ‘Do not let the sun go down on
your wrath,’ is a lesson that took me years to learn. More than
forty years ago, the spirit of anger took over my life. I was
bullied as a child, and the situation became worse after I got
eyeglasses. My fellow students would make fun of me by
touching my face. I couldn’t express my emotions or let go of
them, so I kept them bottled up inside me. I hated the idea of
people getting too close to my face.
“Like any situation that is not dealt with, my problem with
anger grew. Little by little, I started to think that if anyone were
to touch my face, I would fight him, hurt him, or even kill him.
Many years passed without anyone knowing of this demonic
strength in my life. However, when my children were born, God
revealed to me that unless I was delivered, the anger within me,
which governed the spirit of murder, would become a
generational curse. I wanted deliverance, and, one night, in the
church that I formerly attended, I received my deliverance.
When the pastor began to pray for me and to cast out that
horrible spirit, the power of God immediately moved in my life.
It literally felt as if something very heavy was being lifted from
my shoulders. At that moment, I knew that I had been liberated
and that, by God’s mercy, the curse had been broken in my
children’s bloodline. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that
we are free. Thanks to the blood of Jesus, I no longer struggle
with anger, and my children will not have to deal with it, either.
Thank You, Lord, for my freedom!”
The Breaking Point
Is God getting your attention through the consequences of
your sin, through a crisis in your life, or through a sense of
conviction in your heart from the Holy Spirit that something is
not right in your relationship with Him? If so, what is your
breaking point? How long will you wait before responding? Do
you want to experience a long process of suffering before
surrendering to God? Or, will you make a decision to fully yield
to Him right now? The choice is yours! If you return to God, He
will receive you.
A person reaches his breaking point when he is ready to
surrender and submit to God.
It is often the case that people seek Christ after they reach
their breaking point because they know that only a miracle can
help them now. The woman who touched the hem of Jesus’
garment while believing for healing is an excellent example of
someone in this situation. “And a woman was there who had
been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a
great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all
she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When
she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak” (Mark 5:25–27 niv).
 This woman had definitely reached her breaking point, having
suffered from a debilitating sickness for more than a decade.
She had tried everything she knew to do, and she had spent all
her money, to find a remedy—to no avail. Then, she heard
about Jesus. She said to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I
will be healed” (Mark 5:28 niv). This woman was ready to
surrender to Christ because He was her only hope. She had no
other alternatives. And when she touched Jesus’ clothes,
“immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body
that she was freed from her suffering” (Mark 5:29 niv). And
Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in
peace and be freed from your suffering” (Mark 5:34 niv). The
Scriptures are filled with accounts of people who had reached
their breaking point and had no other choice but to surrender
to God and seek His help.
You know you have reached your breaking point when your
only alternative is God.
As long as you feel you have other alternatives, you will not
seek the Lord—and you won’t be able to witness God’s
powerful hand at work on your behalf. However, once you are
broken—once you surrender, give up your will, and trust
solely in God with no reservations—He will transform your
heart and work powerfully in your life. “For thus says the High
and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I
dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to
revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15).
A broken heart stops resisting obedience.
 Purposes and Blessings of Brokenness
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the
glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image
from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2
Corinthians 3:18). The Christian life is one of continuous
transformation. God, in His sovereignty, will initiate and/or use
the process of brokenness to further transform you into the
image and likeness of Christ, so that you will reflect His
character and heart. After you have experienced brokenness
and have surrendered to God, you will be a different person—
more loving, more humble, and more centered on His purpose
for your life. You will not be the same person you were before
being broken—but you also will not be the person you will
become in the future as you continue to yield to God.
Again, transformation is a process that is to continue
throughout our life. If we stop allowing God to change us, we
will settle for a reality that reflects only the natural realm and is
unable to address our deepest needs and problems. Moreover,
if we stop advancing spiritually, we will not only become
stagnant but will soon begin to take steps backward.
Once we are aware of the reasons for brokenness and its
benefits, we should stop complaining about the things we have
had to endure. Rather, we should thank God for them. We
sometimes ask ourselves, “Why am I going through this
suffering? Could I have disobeyed God?” or “Why did God
allow this to happen?” Regardless of the cause of our troubles,
if we understand the purpose of brokenness, we can use any
difficult circumstance as an opportunity to draw closer to God.
When we seek the Lord and yield to Him, He begins to
transform us.
There are many blessings and benefits that result from
experiences of brokenness. Let us look at ten of the most
notable ones:
1. We Will Gain an Increased Sensitivity to God’s Presence
Many people wonder why they can’t sense God’s presence.
They don’t realize that hardness of heart and/or resistance to
being broken by God are the greatest impediments to
experiencing His presence. Often, those who respond in a
positive way to brokenness by repenting and seeking God can
soon perceive His presence. They can clearly hear His voice as
their hearts become yielded and tender before Him. I can say
beyond a shadow of a doubt that we will experience greater
times in God’s presence after we have gone through the
process of brokenness and have fully surrendered to Him.

2. Pleasing God Will Become Our

Highest Priority
Brokenness changes our focus—pleasing God suddenly
becomes the most important thing in our life. Doing His will is
now our supreme priority, and His purpose is our purpose. We
can say, as King David did, “I delight to do Your will, O my
God, and Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).

3. We Will Be Led to Spiritual

Maturity
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called
the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing
pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:24–25). Moses surrendered his
privileges as the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter—
privileges of position, wealth, and luxury—in exchange for the
cost of suffering in order to liberate the people of Israel from
slavery and to lead them to the Promised Land. Spiritual
maturity has nothing to do with earthly fame, prestige,
credentials, power, or influence. Rather, it has to do with
recognizing God as our Sovereign, relying on Him totally,
yielding our heart to Him, and learning to understand and value
His priorities and purposes as our own; it consists in learning
to be obedient, submissive, and available to our Lord. Moses
made a decision to submit to God’s will and be transformed in
order to fulfill his purpose in life—a life that had been spared
from death by God’s protection when he was still a baby. (See
Exodus 1:15–2:9.) Moses’ destiny had been set since birth, yet
he had to endure the process of brokenness so that he could
attain the maturity required for him to become the deliverer of
Israel.
4. We Will Be Enabled to Carry Out Our Purpose
and Calling
Every person has been created by God for a unique purpose
and calling. No one enters this world by chance. Yet most
people don’t know the purpose for which they were born. They
have not yet received the spiritual insight for it or experienced
the spiritual growth necessary to carry it out. Sometimes, our
calling unfolds to us over time. Like Moses’, our heart must be
transformed so that we may recognize our purpose, move
forward to fulfill it, and develop the passion and maturity to
complete it as the Lord guides our steps.
God already sees our purpose fulfilled before we are even
aware of it or begin to pursue it. For example, right now, with
His spiritual sight, the Lord may be seeing a certain
businessman earning millions of dollars that he will use to
advance the kingdom of God. He may be seeing an evangelist
winning many souls for Christ, or a pastor whose church has a
powerful outreach of healing and deliverance in his city.
Suppose the businessman, evangelist, or pastor is pursuing a
completely different vocation at the moment but is undergoing
a personal crisis or another difficulty. God is allowing that
individual to experience brokenness, because He sees beyond
the suffering to its ultimate purpose—enabling the person to
discern and carry out his true calling and to reflect God’s
nature, bringing Him glory.
Similarly, when we are in the midst of our own brokenness,
God sees His finished work in us; and He sees us carrying out
His purpose in the earth. As we go through the process of
brokenness, God will remove various obstacles that prevent us
from being able to fulfill our calling, so that we are free to carry
it out.
5. We Will Know God’s Character in a Deeper Way
Brokenness also leads us to experience God and to know Him
in a deeper way than we have been able to previously. We will
more clearly understand His love and His will. Just as Jonah
needed to learn about the vastness of God’s mercy, and to
emulate it, we need a fuller understanding of the many
marvelous characteristics of God’s nature. When we
understand them and, in response, humble ourselves before
Him, He will enable us to reflect those very qualities.
6. We Will Receive a Greater Understanding of Ourselves
Through brokenness, we are led to identify our weaknesses,
shortcomings, limitations, and frailties. Through this
knowledge, we recognize that we must continually depend on
God’s mercy and love. Moreover, as God transforms us, we
come to a greater understanding of who we are in Christ and
how God wants to change us into His likeness.
7. We Will Develop a More Loving, Merciful, and Forgiving
Attitude Toward Others
Thanks to brokenness, we begin to see people differently. We
realize that they are not better or worse than we are. We let go
of our sense of superiority or inferiority and begin to see
others from God’s perspective. Through the process of
brokenness, we are enabled to let go of a judgmental and
critical spirit, and to more easily overlook offenses. We
develop deeper love for others, extending greater mercy and
forgiveness to them in relation to their weaknesses and
failings. We no longer “demand”—whether verbally or silently
in our own thoughts—that people pay what they owe us or be
punished for what they have done to us so they will “get what
they deserve.” Regardless of the spiritual, emotional, or mental
condition a person might be in, we will see him with love, pray
for his healing and prosperity, and help meet his needs.
 Brokenness increases our love and compassion for other
people.

8. We Will Develop a Spirit of

Meekness
Contrary to what many people think, the biblical concept of
meekness is not “weakness.” Rather, its meaning is reflected in
these definitions: “having or showing a quiet and gentle
nature,” and “enduring injury with patience and without
resentment.” Brokenness transforms us into teachable, humble,
open, and transparent people. When we have a meek spirit, we
no longer need everyone to agree with our opinions. We stop
being defensive, so that we are able to hear the advice of
others and to learn from them. Leaving behind egocentrism, we
are able to work well with others as a team, in order to help
other people and to promote the advancement of God’s
kingdom in the world.
9. We Will Have a New Desire to Grow in All Areas
of Life
After going through the process of brokenness and
experiencing the healing of our heart and receiving a renewed
outlook, we are liberated to become who God created us to be.
Accordingly, we desire to grow, mature, prosper, and succeed
in every area of our life—whether in relation to our personal
development, family life, church/ministry, education,
business/work, finances, or another area.
 God doesn’t exist for us. We exist for Him.
10. We Will Enjoy New Freedom in the Spirit
Last, we will experience greater freedom in the Spirit. We
realize that we were formerly in bondage to people, places, and
circumstances, as well as to our own prejudices, selfish desires,
and other negative outlooks, that hindered us from advancing
in Christlikeness through the transformation of our heart. After
brokenness, we enjoy a new sense of inner peace and
contentment as we yield our own “rights” and “demands” in
order to carry out the requirements of God’s love. The sinful
nature is restrained, and the life of Christ—Conqueror over sin
and death—rises within us. Because we have surrendered to
Him, He can manifest Himself in and through our life.
Every true sacrifice we make for God is made from the place
of
a broken heart.
Prayer of Brokenness
Brokenness of heart is a necessary process that every
Christian must endure in order to draw closer to God—to know
Him better, to please Him in greater measure, and to carry out
His will more completely. If we walk around with a wounded
heart, never experiencing healing, we will inevitably hurt
others, and we won’t reach our potential in God.
Have you been resisting the process of brokenness? Have the
storm, the fish, the worm, and the scorching wind come, yet
nothing has made you yield to God, so that He can heal you,
transform your heart, and carry out His purposes through you?
Perhaps you feel that you are at your breaking point, that you
are at the end of your human strength, and you would like to
let go of your burden and find rest in God. Today, you have an
opportunity to submit your life to Him, finding peace and
wholeness. Pray the following prayer to release your rebellion
and resistance and to surrender completely to your loving
heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, I yield my independence, my self-sufficiency,
and my pride to You. I want to fulfill what You have called me
to do on this earth. Transform every area of my life that is not
aligned with Your will. I repent of hindering Your purposes for
me and of resisting the transformation of my heart in relation to
my [personal development, family life, church/ministry,
education, business/work, finances, or another realm]. Forgive
me and cleanse me through the blood of Jesus, which He shed
on the cross for me. I receive Your forgiveness right now, and I
decide, of my own free will, to deny my sinful nature, to
surrender to You, and to obey Your will.
I consecrate myself to You and commit to depend totally on
You. From now on, no matter what happens to me, I will seek
no “alternative” in life but You. Now, I ask You, Lord, to fill
me with Your presence. Enable me to sense the reality of Your
nearness to me. Pour out Your love and compassion in my
heart, so that I can see other people as You see them, and
love them as You love them. As You fill me with Your
presence, love, and power, help me to lead others to
repentance and faith, so that they, too, can draw close to You.
In the name of Jesus, amen!
10
The Supernatural Transformation of the Mind

From the time she was a child, Siobhan had anxiously asked
herself, “Am I destined for greatness?” Having earned degrees
in biomedical engineering and database development, she had
outstanding academic ability and had received recognition and
titles. However, she felt driven to succeed, and something was
lacking in her life. Here is her story: “I was raised by a Christian
mother (and was rarely visited by my father), but everything
related to ‘religion’ was last on my personal agenda. I
graduated from high school as one of the top three students in
my Caribbean nation. My entire existence was built upon a
strong foundation of education and ambition.
“When I was sixteen, I enrolled at the University of Miami with
plans to become great at ‘everything,’ from sports to my
scholastic endeavors. My hunger for success was insatiable. I
joined academic clubs, social clubs, and athletic clubs—and I
designed plans to transform them all. I was busy every second
of my life, going from activity to activity. But, at the end of the
day, when I would lie down to sleep, I would try to make sense
of everything I had done. Regardless of how many trophies I
won, how much glory I received, or how much influence I had, I
still felt that something was missing. My soul was unsatisfied
and empty. I needed ‘more’—more plans, more goals, more
success, more out of life.
“One Friday night, a friend from school whom I barely knew
invited me to attend a youth service. After evaluating the pros
and cons, I decided to attend—expecting to gain influence and
connections more than anything else. However, what I found
that night completely revolutionized my life. It didn’t matter
how much I tried to analyze it, the experience couldn’t be
quantified; for the first time in my life, I witnessed the power of
God firsthand through healing and miracles. The scientist in me
tried to observe, dissect, classify, and replicate the experience,
but the only word that seemed to explain what I had witnessed
w a s supernatural. This was not an emotional experience,
because emotions could never have made bones grow or
twisted legs straighten. My purpose had now become clear,
tangible, and precise. I felt completely satisfied.
“According to this world’s standards, my life had been
wonderful, but what God had for me was much better. It was on
my way to ‘greatness’ that I found the One who brought sense
and purpose to my life. I had never known the measure of
God’s grace until I met the person of His Son Jesus. It was then
that I understood that my life, the one I thought was ‘perfect,’
was based on sin and oppression. My family had lived
victimized by divorce, anger, adultery, lust, lack of
communication, and many other problems.
“Since that day five years ago, I have been a recipient of
God’s mercy, grace, deliverance, and transformation in every
area of my life—but none so powerful as in my soul. The void,
insecurities, rejection, unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, and fear
of failure that I used to experience were cast out of my life. My
soul was restored by the inexplicable power of the Holy Spirit.
Many of my colleagues in the scientific world reject my faith,
saying that it is ‘a leap in the dark.’ But, by personal
experience, I can say with certainty that my faith in God is the
answer to the revelation of Light.”
Love God with Your Heart and Mind
A supernatural encounter changed Siobhan’s mind-set and led
her to the living God, transforming her life. We all need a
change of mind-set in order to fulfill what God has planned for
us and to live as He intended us to. When we were saved, we
received not only the “new man,” or a new spirit, with the
nature of Christ, but we also received a new mind—“the mind
of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Just as our heart has to be
transformed by God to line up with the “new man” within us,
our mind must be transformed to align with the “mind of
Christ” within us. We have a vital part to play in this process,
because we are commanded to love God not only with all our
heart and all our soul but also with all our mind. (See Matthew
22:37.) Our mind must increasingly become one with God’s.
Otherwise, we cannot become effective vessels to carry out His
purposes.
Throughout this book, we have seen that our beliefs and
attitudes are rooted and established in our heart.
Consequently, they influence our mind-set and thoughts,
prompting our behavior. Additionally, there are ways in which
our mind influences our heart and affects its condition. For
example, as we have noted, Satan attempts to manipulate our
heart by planting bad thoughts in our mind and enticing our
sinful nature to rise up in the form of pride, lust, rebellion, and
so forth. That is why the manner in which we think and reason,
and what thoughts we allow to remain in our mind, are so
significant. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing
every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2
Corinthians 10:4–5).
When our mind is aligned with human reason, our focus is on
temporal matters, and the impossible remains impossible.
The Original Mind of Humanity
The word mind is defined as “the element or complex of
elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and
especially reasons,” and “the conscious mental events and
capabilities in an organism.” Our mind is the seat of our
knowledge and understanding; it is the intellectual potential of
the soul.
We must know what was our Creator’s original intent for the
mind of humanity, because we cannot comprehend the nature
of the transformation we must undergo until we understand His
original design. Human beings were made in God’s image and
likeness; and, in His plan, we were created to believe, think,
and act as He does. Humanity’s original mind was therefore a
reflection of God’s—pure, clear, and unlimited in what it could
conceive; it worked in conjunction with God’s supernatural
power. Thus, everything the first human beings did was geared
toward manifesting God’s will on earth as it was in heaven.
Possibilities were the norm to them, because they lived
according to the spiritual realm, where everything is possible.
Adam and Eve weren’t contaminated by sin at first, so their
heart, soul, and body, while living in the natural world,
functioned according to the life of the supernatural realm—
above and beyond the physical sphere. Their thoughts were
filled with revelation knowledge from God, and that is how they
were able to bring heaven to earth. All of creation responded to
them just as it responded to God, because the Creator had
given them dominion over it. As long as they were aligned with
heaven, the creation obeyed them because it recognized divine
authority.
Adam’s mind was designed to be aligned with heaven and
to manifest heaven on earth.
Is it possible for us to have that same divine mind today, so
that we are enabled to live beyond natural human limitations?
Yes, it is possible—as our mind is supernaturally transformed.
God’s original mandate of dominion has not changed. We can
recover God’s original intent for us—to live in accordance with
the mind He first gave us, which is a reflection of His own
mind.
Human beings lost their divine mind-set when they rebelled
against God in the garden of Eden. Their spirit was
disconnected from the supernatural realm, and their mind
consequently became confined to the natural sphere—reduced
to a state of limitation and subjected to impossibilities. From
that time forward, the natural world became humanity’s primary
reality. But through Christ’s finished work on the cross,
everything we lost in the fall has been restored to us, so that
we can once more carry out our true purpose. Renewal of the
mind must take place in regard to every area of our life—not as
a onetime occurrence but continuously, because
transformation is an ongoing process for us. Then, when our
mind begins to be transformed, we will no longer think in terms
of limitations, as the following testimony illustrates.
Andrew was an orthopedic surgeon specializing in surgery of
the hand, arm, and shoulder. He knew God and His Word, but
he experienced a hunger to know more of God and to see His
supernatural power operate today as it did through Jesus
Christ. The Holy Spirit led Andrew on a journey in which his
frame of mind shifted from the natural to the supernatural—to a
place where he found the fullness he had been looking for.
Here is his story: “I was raised Catholic but slowly turned my
back on the church. I accepted Christ into my heart when I was
eleven years old through my mother, who had started to attend
a Protestant church. After my new birth, I felt I had meaning
and direction in my life.
“At a young age, I had been attracted to the scientific field,
and I believed that God had used evolution to ‘somehow’
create the human race; yet, when I attended college, I began to
see that evolution was a theory without foundation. The
complexity of creation speaks of a God who is vastly superior
to this theory. Ironically, those who do not believe that there is
a God always seem to appeal to the infinite. Those of us who
do believe in Him know that He is ‘the Infinite.’
“As this issue was resolved in my heart, I yearned to know the
Creator at a deeper level and to have a closer personal
relationship with Him. When I was thirty-eight, I attended a
church that was filled with God’s presence, and I received the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. A new world began to unfold before
my eyes. At that church, I learned to love the Word of God and
to study it in depth. In time, however, a new hunger awakened
in me, and I realized that something was missing. As an
orthopedic surgeon, I have learned to help people through
natural medical means, but the healings that Christ did during
His time on earth challenge natural explanation. Because Jesus
is the same yesterday, today, and forever, I would ask myself
why we didn’t see healing in the same magnitude that Jesus
commanded during His ministry.
“During that time of searching, I discovered Apostle
Maldonado’s teachings. When I heard him teach, my spirit was
set on fire. He spoke of his book How to Walk in the
Supernatural Power of God, and I knew that was what I had
been yearning for. Reading about that revelation and hearing it
preached by Apostle Maldonado has opened up the Word of
God to me in ways that are hard to describe. Now I see God
powerfully manifesting through signs, miracles, and wonders. I
am learning to be a channel through which He can manifest His
power on earth. Jesus’ life is being revealed in me like never
before, and I hear Him more clearly every time He speaks to me.
I believe that, in no time at all, I will see Jesus once more
restoring everyone who comes for healing.”
The Need for a Change of Mind-set, “Structure,” and Message
The world around us moves within the framework of certain
established mind-sets that resulted from the fall of humanity.
Some of its attitudes and outlooks are doubt, insecurity,
jealousy, greed, depression, and a fear of death. A change of
perspective from a natural outlook to a spiritual one is
necessary for the supernatural power of God to manifest
through us.
Gaining a new mind-set prepares the way for changes in our
“structure.” By structure, I mean the way in which a person,
group, organization, or country functions or operates, or the
way in which an individual carries out a particular purpose. For
example, a person under the influence of the fall might live
according to an oppressive mental structure that keeps him
perpetually in a negative state or causes him to experience one
personal crisis after another.
Our mind-set guides every action we take. A change of
mentality will therefore transform our “structure”—how we
conduct our life, and what pursuits we believe are possible. Let
me add here that we cannot try to implement a new structure in
an organization unless those involved have all experienced a
similarly transformed mind-set that has led them to have a new
vision for themselves and the organization. For example, if we
were to try to change the structure of a church before the
people had been taught—and had accepted—its basis in the
Word of God, or before they had embraced a vision for change,
the result would be only confusion, fighting, bitterness,
division, and separation. That is why people must always be
taught the Word of God and be given a demonstration of its
reality before change can occur.
Finally, as we adopt a new structure, the message we
communicate also changes. Each of Christ’s supernatural acts
was aligned with the proclamation of the gospel of God’s
kingdom. Therefore, as our mind-set and structure are changed
to reflect the supernatural nature of the kingdom, we will go to
our families, churches, communities, cities, and nations with
the message of a supernatural gospel that transforms lives.
Additionally, as we are Jesus’ witnesses in the world, we can
also help to transform the institutions of our society—whether
familial, educational, judicial, legislative, athletic, artistic, or
related to another area. Many of these institutions are infused
with the mentality and structures of the corrupt fallen nature.
We must take the message of God’s kingdom to people and
institutions in all realms of life, so that the lost will be saved,
lives will be renewed, the sick will be made whole, the poor will
prosper, and the oppressed will be set free.
A change in mind-set will produce a change in structure. A
change in structure will produce a change in message. And a
change in message will bring about the manifestation of the
supernatural
here and now!
The Process by Which the Mind Is Renewed
In the first century, the apostle Paul wrote a letter of
instruction and encouragement to the Christians in Rome. At
the time, Rome was essentially the capital of the world, a place
where political power and commerce were prominent, and
where idolatry, violence, and other sins were abundant. Most
of the Christians living there had been born and raised in the
culture of the Roman Empire; therefore, their mind-set was
Roman. Yet, when they accepted Christ and became His
disciples, they became spiritual citizens of the invisible realm
known as the kingdom of God.
Roman culture, like most cultures and institutions in the world,
reflected the mind-set of fallen humanity. Paul wanted to help
the Roman believers to put their human culture into
perspective so that they could renew their minds by the Spirit
of God and begin to live according to a spiritual “culture”
based on the nature and character of God.
We, too, live in a society influenced by the fall; and we, too,
are spiritual citizens of God’s kingdom. The problem is that we
often continue to think and behave according to the standards
of our earthly culture rather than our heavenly one. As God’s
children, we must recognize that “our [true] citizenship is in
heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). We live in the world, but
we are not “of” the world. (See John 17:11, 14–16.) Even
though we function within the world’s system, with its
temporal culture and values, we don’t “belong” to it; we are
members of a realm that has eternal principles and values. Let
us learn from what Paul taught the believers in Rome as he
explained how they could be transformed to live as citizens of
their new kingdom:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1–2)
Let us examine the various parts of this remarkable passage of
Scripture.

1. Present Your Body as a Living

Sacrifice
Paul’s first request is that we “present [our] bodies a living
sacrifice…to God.” We should present ourselves to Him as if
we were a sacrifice on a sacred altar. We won’t be able to
experience the transformation of our mind in its fullest sense if
we do not first become a “living sacrifice” to God. We must
make the decision to give God our entire physical body—
including our mind—because our body is the vessel through
which we do everything on this earth.
In the Old Testament, the priest would present an animal on
behalf of an individual as a sacrificial offering to God—perhaps
an ox, a lamb, or a goat—often to atone for sin. This animal
would be presented on the altar after it was killed. Once
someone gave an animal as a sacrifice, he no longer owned it,
so he could not take it back.
In our case, Jesus was the Sacrifice who died on the cross to
pay for our sin and who was gloriously resurrected to give us
new life. Spiritually, we have died with Him and have been
raised with Him. Therefore, we are to present ourselves to God
as a “living sacrifice” through a voluntary offering of
ourselves for His purposes and His glory. A similar principle of
ownership applies when we offer our body to God as applied to
the animal sacrifices offered—the sacrifice is a permanent
decision.
Because Jesus has paid the price for our redemption, our life
belongs to the Lord; it is ours no more, and we cannot take it
off the altar. When we present our body to God, it is His from
that point on. We no longer determine what we will do with it
or where and with whom it will go. Instead, we give God the
responsibility of maintaining our body and of showing us to
what we should dedicate its use. God doesn’t ask merely to
“rent” our body but to be its absolute Owner.
The greatest obstacle to moving in the supernatural is having
a mind that has not been renewed. And renewal cannot occur
until the body is presented as a living sacrifice to God.
Being a living sacrifice involves dying to “self,” a process we
discussed earlier. This process is painful to our fleshly nature
and to our will. But it is tremendously beneficial for us, because
God can thereafter make the best use of our life and bring forth
maximum blessings of joy, health, and peace for us. We cannot
offer our body in sacrifice to sin or to false and destructive
mind-sets any longer. We must renounce the fleshly nature
and surrender our humanity to God, so that He may transform
us into the likeness of Jesus while enabling us to bring His
message of redemption and kingdom power to others. God
desires that we become His instruments for saving, healing,
and delivering those who are oppressed by Satan. Offering
ourselves as a living sacrifice, therefore, demands that we make
a complete commitment to God, so that He may consecrate us
and set us apart for His service. From this moment forward, we
present ourselves continually as a “living sacrifice” to a holy
God who adopts us as His children and makes us “kings and
priests” in His kingdom. (See Revelation 1:6; 5:10.)
Those who are able to carry something real from God to
others have begun with sacrifice—such as fasting, prayer, and
 seeking God.
The final phrase of Romans 12:1—“which is your reasonable
service”—indicates that being a living sacrifice is not beyond
our reach; it is not impossible. In fact, because we are God’s
priests, it is one of our functions: “You also, as living stones,
are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ” (1 Peter 2:5).
Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means totally
surrendering to God.
2. Do Not Conform to the Mentality of This World
“And do not be conformed to this world…” (Romans 12:2).
When we have presented our body as a living sacrifice, we
must no longer conform to the world. The Greek word
translated “conformed” in this verse is suschematizo, which
means “to fashion alike, i.e. conform to the same pattern.” The
word indicates an external conformity. We should not allow
ourselves to be shaped or formed by the mind-set of the world,
as a shoe adapts to the shape of the foot after continued wear.
Again, the world has various values, principles, standards,
attitudes, and ways of thinking that are opposed to those of
God’s kingdom; many of them are based on enthroning “self”
and conserving the sinful nature. The world’s values are
destructive because they focus not on God but on the
attainment of prestige, fame, fortune, and fleshly pleasures, and
the pursuit of success at all costs. This is generally the
mentality of the culture we live in, and Christian people are
being pressured to conform to it. For instance, we are being
pushed to assent to the idea that there are many paths to God;
and, if we claim that Jesus is the only way to God, we are called
narrow-minded. In another example, we are being pressured to
accept the belief that homosexuality is a legitimate lifestyle and
that any belief contrary to that is outdated. The world wants us
to follow its pattern, but we must not. The apostle James wrote,
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity
with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world
makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).
The Greek word for “world” in the above passage is aion,
which means “an age” and, by implication, “the world.” God
deeply loves the people of this world—so much so that He
came to earth to die for them. Yet He doesn’t love the mind-set
of the world, because it is controlled by the evil one. (See 1
John 5:19.) Any area of your life that is not transformed
according to the nature of Christ has been conformed to the
world and needs to be renewed by the Holy Spirit.
Do not allow yourself to conform to the fallen world’s mind-
set, values, and behavior; rather, let it be the other way around.
Help to bring the gospel to all the “subcultures” of the world—
the arenas of education, politics, sports, science, business,
economics, the media, the arts, and so forth. The message of
the gospel of the kingdom is able to transform not only you but
also other people in your sphere of influence, by the example of
your lifestyle and by the power of God working in and through
you.
Any area of your life that is not transformed according to the
nature of Christ has been conformed to the world and needs
to be renewed by the Holy Spirit.
3. Be Transformed
“…but be transformed…” (Romans 12:2). The Greek word
translated “transformed” is metamorphoo, which means “to
transform (literally or figuratively “metamorphose”),” or “to
change into another form.” I believe this word indicates dying
to one way of life in order to be reborn into another—a process
similar to what happens to a caterpillar inside a cocoon when it
is transformed into a butterfly—a new creature. The
transformation of our mind is a supernatural process, because
it is a work carried out by the Holy Spirit. It does not produce
merely an external or temporal change. It effects a total change
of character and behavior in the person who surrenders to God
with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.
The transformation of the mind is supernaturally
accomplished by the Holy Spirit.

4. Renew Your Mind

“…by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). The Greek
word translated “renewing” is anakainosis, meaning
“renovation” or “renewal.” Note that one cannot “renovate” or
“renew” something that never previously existed. When Paul
wrote of “the renewing of your mind,” he indicated that the
mind had an original state from which it had moved away—the
mind the first human beings had in Eden before they sinned.
So, again, when we renew our mind, we come into alignment
with humanity’s original mind-set. That is why renewal is such
a powerful key to understanding and carrying out God’s will.
The reason God tells us to renew our mind is so that we can
return to His purpose for us. He wants our mind to reflect His
mind, enabling us to think and even function as He does. This
is why we must surrender our mind to the Holy Spirit for
transformation.
Renewal has to do with thinking and living differently. The
renewal of our mind enables us to return to the mind-set with
which God originally created us.
Consequences of Failing to Renew Our Mind
Some people don’t imagine that the process of renewal applies
to them, because they think they are doing fine just the way
they are. It is usually easier for us to see where other people
need to make improvements in their life than it is for us to
identify the changes we need to make. The truth is that we all
need to renew our mind—continually—because we always
must be advancing spiritually. Otherwise, we may experience
the following consequences:
Our circumstances will be our primary—or only
—reality. We will conform to our problems—
whether sickness, pain, debt, depression, or any
other trouble—even though they are temporal
facts and not eternal realities.
We will lack clear direction for our life. When
our mind is not renewed, we cannot commit to
believe in God and His Word wholeheartedly. We
will be spiritually indecisive, unable to conclude
who we were meant to be, what we should believe
in, and what we should be doing. We must know
where we are headed in life, just as an airplane
pilot sets his course by a fixed destination. When
we don’t understand our purpose as God
intended—or if we can’t or won’t commit to it—
we will lack clear direction for our life, and this
uncertainty will cause us anxiety and leave us in a
vacillating state of mind.
We will be spiritually vulnerable. When we have
difficulty committing to God’s Word and His
purposes, as emphasized in the previous point,
our vacillation causes us to be spiritually weak
and vulnerable. If we truly believe in something,
we will commit to it, and we will be decisive in
matters related to it. We cannot exercise faith with
a mind that is not made up about God and His
promises. Do we believe in them or not? We must
decide. The enemy is searching for minds that still
have not determined what they believe about God
or have not yet become established in their
beliefs, because those minds are open to receive
other options and therefore can be deceived and
enticed to doubt God’s Word.
Our mind/thoughts will conform to sin. We may
begin to mentally assent to the idea that certain
sins are acceptable, so that our mind is in
agreement with practices that go against God’s
nature. If “self” retakes its lost position of
supremacy, it will be harder for us to see things
from a spiritual point of view because we will be
slipping into a fleshly state of mind.
Consequently, we might start to call an obviously
sinful practice a mere “weakness,” or we might
claim that we have the right to participate in a
particular sin because it makes us “happy.” We
will gradually accept various sins as the norm,
compromising the godly principles by which we
used to live.
Our behavior will conform to sin. If we mentally
conform to sin, we will eventually “become” sin in
the sense that it will shape and dominate our
lifestyle. Adapting to sin causes a person’s
conscience to be seared and his eyes to be
blinded to the truth. For example, if a person
conforms to the idea of adultery in his mind, he
will probably become an adulterer by his
behavior. Likewise, if someone conforms to the
idea of addiction, he will likely act in such a way
that he will become physically addicted. It is
dangerous for someone to allow himself to
become conformed to the false mentality of this
world, because he will then begin to live
according to a deception that ultimately leads to
spiritual death. Frighteningly, at that point, he
may not even be able to see his destruction
coming, because sin will have taken over his heart
 and mind. On the other hand, if an individual
allows the Holy Spirit to transform him, he will
become a true child and imitator of his heavenly
Father, with the right to inherit all His blessings
and to see all His promises fulfilled in his life.
We will experience spiritual dryness. When we
stop renewing our mind, we may cease
experiencing the daily “showers” of God’s
presence that keep our spirit fresh and alive. This
is because we start to gain an interest in earthly
things that cannot provide life for our spirit, and
we manifest a spiritual dryness that slowly
parches the life of the Spirit within us. Under
these circumstances, we need to return to God
and receive a fresh infilling of His Holy Spirit.
One evidence of a spiritually dry condition is when people
who once had a living faith turn “religious,” having only the
letter of the Word rather than the Spirit of it. (See, for example,
2 Corinthians 3:6.) “Religious” people are often characterized
by spiritual stagnancy and a resistance to change. Some of
them employ every available argument they can think of
against change, as well as any possible means to stop it from
occurring. As a result, they do not receive God’s power, and
are they unable to see or to demonstrate His miracles.
When people are in a spiritually dry state, their perspective
and even their lifestyle may begin to change for the worse.
For example, they may be more critical of others, attend
church only occasionally, cease living in the revelation of the
Spirit, and stop progressing to higher levels of faith. Such
people no longer operate according to the beliefs they once
had or the anointing they once received. If we are not careful,
such dryness can be our spiritual undoing.
We will return to false mind-sets and habits, and
we will regress spiritually. If we begin the
process of renewing our mind in the Holy Spirit
but then halt our progress, we will likely retreat to
our previous ways of thinking in line with the
world’s mind-set. Again, this outlook reflects
only a natural, temporal perspective.
Consequently, we will return to our former sinful
habits, thereby breaking our fellowship with God
and with our brothers and sisters in Christ and
regressing spiritually.
In addition, when we cease to renew our mind, we may start
to see our circumstances in a different light from when we
were living in faith. Before, we would have viewed negative
traits in others and difficult situations in our life as
opportunities for God to manifest His love, grace, and power,
but now we will see them only as “flaws,” “faults,”
inconveniences,” “problems,” “difficulties,” and “crises.”
When our circumstances become our reality, we will speak
more about our problems than we do about God, and we may
construct a stronghold of doubt and defeatism in our mind
that is difficult to tear down.
The mind of faith is not “ignorant,” as some people believe;
rather, it has a supernatural knowledge that goes beyond
 human understanding.
We will lose our kingdom relevance in the world.
Let me illustrate this point with a simple analogy:
Generally speaking, technology has advanced
with each new century of human history;
currently, it seems to advance every few years.
Most people eventually incorporate new
technology into their daily routine, so that their
life keeps pace with the various scientific
developments of society. Similarly, as we
continue to be renewed in spiritual knowledge,
and as we incorporate that knowledge into our
character and lifestyle, we will better understand
the ways in which God is manifesting His
kingdom in our contemporary world, and we will
remain spiritually relevant. But when we stop
being transformed and go back to false ways of
thinking and sinful practices, we will lose our
spiritual relevance and cease to know, or to
participate in, God’s fresh revelation.
We will experience recurring issues and
frustrations. People who are stuck in a fallen
mind-set will repeat the same mistakes and
failings and will continually deal with similar
problems and obstacles, no matter where they are
or with whom they associate. They—not others
—are the cause of their own difficulties, but they
can’t see that fact, because their mind is blind to
 it. We cannot walk in the Spirit and operate in the
supernatural when we have a carnal mind that is
totally opposed to the mind of God and always
doubts and questions Him.
Recurring issues and problems in our life can indicate that we
are trapped in a carnal mentality.

5. Prove the Will of God

“…that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). The Greek word translated
“prove” is dokimazo, which means “to test,” with the
implication of “to approve”—in other words, “to attest,” or “to
affirm to be true or genuine.” When our mind is renewed, we
will understand the will of God, which is “good,”
“acceptable,” a n d “p erfect ” for us. From the above
conclusion to Paul’s entreaty in Romans 12:1–2, we recognize
that, in order to discover God’s will, we must first present our
body as a “living sacrifice,” making ourselves totally available
to Him.
God’s will is a reflection of His nature and qualities, and one of
His greatest characteristics is His supernatural ability.
Therefore, to manifest the supernatural is to be in alignment
with an aspect of His will. Some evidences that we are in His
will are the supernatural healings and miracles and the
instances of supernatural provision, guidance, peace, and/or
joy that are manifested in and through our life. When we pray,
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in
heaven” (Matthew 6:10), we are asking that the dominion and
will of our heavenly King be exhibited and carried out in our
midst. God wants the reality of His supernatural realm to invade
our life, and He wants His will to be manifested through us as a
result of the transformation and renewal of our heart and mind.
Consider how God’s will is demonstrated in heaven.
Everything there is complete and eternal; no one experiences
limitations due to time or space; and there is no iniquity,
sickness, lack, fear, or sadness. In heaven, the redeemed
experience true life, never-ending peace, perfect health, and an
abundance of all good things. Therefore, if we live according to
a transformed heart and mind, with access to the heavenly
realm, we can bring God’s will—including all these elements—
to earth.
When your mind is continually renewed, you will know God’s
will and walk in it.
As our mind is renewed according to the “mind of Christ” (1
Corinthians 2:16), we become truly useful to God. If we operate
outside the purposes of His mind, it will be a rare thing for God
to use us, regardless of how “available” we make ourselves to
Him. The Lord will not be able to work through us if our
thoughts and/or our behavior are in conflict with the mind of
Christ.
But when we renew our mind, we become a powerful
instrument for God’s kingdom. This explains why our mind is
the place of ongoing spiritual battle. The enemy will try by any
means possible to stop us from renewing our mind. He will
scheme to make the world’s culture and ways seem comforting
and appealing; he will attack us with “the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). He tempted
Jesus in the same ways, but Jesus was loyal to His Father’s
heart, mind, and kingdom purposes. We offer ourselves to that
which we enter into agreement with our heart and mind. Often,
our thoughts reveal where we have placed our loyalties—either
with God’s ways or with the ways of the flesh and the enemy.
A renewed mind is essential to bringing the reality of the
kingdom of God to others.
Let us now look at three striking testimonies that demonstrate
God’s supernatural ability to transform the human mind. In
these cases, He performed miracles to heal people
supernaturally from physical and mental disorders of the brain.
The first testimony is of Yanaris, who was born premature,
weighing only two pounds. The doctors determined that part
of Yanaris’s brain was missing, and he was diagnosed with
mental retardation. As he grew, he had trouble sleeping, was
unable to learn to read or write, had a very short attention
span, was quick to become bored, and had problems with his
memory—to the point that he would forget things within
seconds. He was given prescribed medication, and he was
dependent on his mother and other adults for everything. In
school, the other children made fun of him. He instinctively
defended himself, but his self-defense turned into anger,
frustration, bitterness, and depression. He grew up to be a
violent and abusive young man.
Tired of his situation, Yanaris began to ask God to help him to
be “normal.” Then, he attended a youth conference hosted by
our ministry. I preached at one of the sessions, and, at the end
of the session, I purposed to demonstrate, by way of signs and
miracles, what I had preached. Yanaris ran to the altar, and I
laid my hands on his head. Yanaris testifies that he felt the fire
of God burn throughout his body—and he also began to have
a bad headache. When he went home, the pain in his head was
still there. The following day, he was taken to the hospital to be
examined. There, doctors discovered that his brain was now
whole! Jesus had created the part of his brain that had been
missing!
The doctors told him, “Yanaris, we don’t know how this is
possible, but your brain is complete. You are now able to live a
full life without any problem.” With joy, Yanaris jumped,
shouted, cried, and praised God. He embraced and kissed his
mother and danced from pure happiness. Now he is an
independent man. He finished high school and, in a short time,
went from being a waiter to being one of the best chefs at the
Marlins stadium in Miami. He is happy and very grateful to
God for the tremendous miracle that was given to him. When
he shares his testimony, he says, “Parents, do not accept
mental illnesses in your children. The supernatural power of
God and His great love for humanity have no limits. Nothing is
impossible for Him! If He recreated part of my brain, He can do
great things for your children.”
The next testimony is of Safi, a young man who was well-
educated but lived with internal conflicts that he couldn’t
understand. Eventually, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia
—a mental illness that only the supernatural power of God can
cure. Here is his story: “When I was fourteen years old, I
attended a school for gifted children. I would complete three
hours’ worth of homework every night, but then I would spend
all my free time in the ghettoes and lower-class neighborhoods.
As a teenager, I was arrested several times for minor offenses.
However, I graduated from high school and was awarded a
scholarship to attend the university. By then, I was stealing
from every type of business.
“My first schizophrenic episode was of demons raping me.
This experience led me to question my sexual orientation. Later,
I would hear voices making racial comments toward black
women when they passed by me, and I thought it was my own
thoughts. In an effort to calm myself, I started to drink. I had no
idea what schizophrenia was, so I didn’t understand what was
happening to me. I started to see demons with huge knives,
stabbing people. The demons threatened to cut my loved ones
if I didn’t attack or hurt someone else.
“One Mother’s Day, the demons came at me stronger than
ever. They told me they were going to hurt my mother if I
didn’t go out and hurt someone. That morning, I went out and
stole from about ten people in just under an hour, threatening
them with a knife. The police were looking for me, but I just
kept robbing people. Finally, I went to rob an elderly woman,
and, as I looked into her eyes, I heard a voice that said, ‘You’d
better not do it.’ I let her go and surrendered to the police.
“I was put in prison, where I fought the correctional officers,
so I was placed in solitary confinement. When I found out that
I was facing life in prison for the crimes I had committed, I
broke down. I asked for a Bible, but they said I wasn’t allowed
to have anything in solitary confinement. After a few weeks,
during which I caused no further incidents, I was returned to
the regular prison. I made friends with two men whom God
used as ‘angels’ to guide me in the right path. I started to read
the Bible, to pray, and to attend the church service held at the
prison.
“I was discharged from prison a year later because I had been
diagnosed as schizophrenic prior to my arrest and didn’t have
any other crimes pending. I was given five years’ probation
and was released on my own recognizance to live at a halfway
house. I returned to the university and joined the Christian
club and the business clubs, where I met my mentor.
“Now, four years later, I serve in the church and have
scholarships to go to leadership conferences in Washington,
D.C., Poland, and Israel. I never violated my parole, and I was
released two years early. Today, God continues to work in me,
and His mercy is eternal. I am a free man! God set me free!
Through His grace, He has shown me that I can be a totally
restored man—free of ‘voices,’ attacks, anger, and chaotic
behavior.”
The third testimony is of Antonio, who was diagnosed with
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Tourette’s
syndrome when he was seven years old. Tourette’s syndrome
is a neurological disorder that manifests in bizarre thoughts or
ideas, compulsive speech, and involuntary movements,
including obscene words and gestures and the repetition of
words. Antonio also suffered from sleep disorders, including
sleepwalking, nightmares, and insomnia.
Antonio’s mother says that her son was treated with various
drugs but made no apparent improvement. Seeing her child in
this state drove her to desperation. She reached a point at
which she simply got sick and tired of the situation and
decided to take Antonio to the early-morning prayer meeting at
our church. I was ministering that day, and I laid my hands on
Antonio, declaring his healing in the name of Jesus. As an act
of faith, his mother stopped giving him the prescribed
medications. Let me emphasize that no one told her to do this;
it was her own choice, as an act of faith, because that is what
she felt God was leading her to do.
A few days later, she received a call from the school where her
son attended. Antonio’s teachers told her that he was showing
noticeable improvement in his schoolwork. He had passed all
his exams with excellent grades, and the teachers were
surprised. They thought his mother had increased the dosage
of his medications, and they told her they would even be
moving him to a gifted class. When they discovered that
Antonio was no longer taking the medications, they couldn’t
believe it!
Today, Antonio is fully functional. He can play with his fellow
students, is well-behaved in class, earns good grades, and is
able to participate in family gatherings. His grandmother, who
was a doctor of psychiatry in Cuba, opposed the decision to
stop administering Antonio’s medications, but when she saw
her grandson’s improvement, she was amazed by the
supernatural power of God. She has stopped believing in
psychiatry and is now totally involved in the vision of our
ministry. Both the mother and grandmother want to learn how
to take the supernatural power of God to children who have
been abandoned and/or who suffer with illnesses similar to
those Antonio had.
Since God is able to perform creative miracles and tremendous
healings that transform people’s minds, as He did for the
young men in the above testimonies, He can surely renew our
mind through the Holy Spirit, so that it reflects His own mind.
The Importance of Renewal of the Mind
Let’s review the following truths about the renewal of our
mind:
Unless we renew our mind and cast off our fallen,
limited mentality, God will be able to do little in us
that is new.
As we renew our mind, we begin to perceive,
“see,” and “hear” the spiritual realm.
As we renew our mind, old and limiting structures
that do not bear fruit for the kingdom will fall
away. Jesus said, “No one puts new wine into
old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the
wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins
are ruined. But new wine must be put into new
wineskins” (Mark 2:22). I believe that the “new
wineskins” Christ talked about refer to changes
in mind-set, in structure, and in message. Again,
we cannot use a new structure while we still
maintain our old mentalities based on the fallen
nature. Yet the transformation of the mind
produces a change of structure and message that
reflects a living gospel—which, in turn, produces
the manifestation of the power and presence of
 God and revolutionizes our life as the “new wine”
of the Holy Spirit flows in and through us.
No transformation can take place without true repentance.
When we become established in the continual
renewal of our mind, God is able to trust us with
His anointing, His supernatural power, and the
experience of His glory. Living according to the
mind of Christ leads to powerful demonstrations
of His will and purposes.
The renewal of our mind assures that the
deliverance, healing, or other supernatural
manifestation we may receive from God will
remain. No transformation is permanent without a
change of mentality; there must be a
comprehensive renewal from the inside out.
Transformation cannot be counterfeited for very
long; it cannot be maintained if it is not genuine.
When we renew our mind, we become a more usable and
powerful instrument of God.
The renewal of our mind is the beginning of
success. When we break away from a defeated,
negative, limited mentality in order to enter into
the victorious, positive, limitless mind-set of the
kingdom, we will prosper in every aspect of our
life, just as our soul prospers. (See 3 John 1:2.)
Renewing our mind, or establishing God’s
thoughts within us, causes us to continually
 experience new spiritual challenges, and it
demands increasingly greater surrender to God
and sanctification in Him. Renewal must be an
ongoing “rhythm” in our spiritual life. If we lose
that rhythm, we will no longer flow in the
supernatural but will slow down until we finally
return to functioning according to a natural state.
To keep from losing this rhythm, we must rise to
meet these challenges and demands through
faith, always obeying God immediately and fully,
and retaining what we have gained spiritually in
Him.
No transformation is permanent without a change of
mentality.
When our mind is renewed, we have access to
God’s imagination. The false arguments and
mental processes of the fallen human mind-set
produce a limited vision. The reason we often ask,
“How can this be?” in relation to God’s promises
is that human reason alone can’t understand the
things of God. The fallen mind has a vast
imagination, yet it is still limited, and it is unable
to comprehend the marvelous plans, ideas, and
thoughts of God. Yet, when our mind is renewed
in Christ, we are able to think according to the
outlook of heaven, and we realize that doubting
God’s Word is merely a waste of time.
You know that your mind has been renewed when the
 “impossible” becomes logical to you.
How to Continuously Renew Your Mind
The transformation of your mind comes as a result of humbling
yourself before God and acknowledging that you have lived
according to a mentality that is contrary to His mind-set—one
that is limited to the natural world and unable to believe in His
power, much less manifest that power to heal sickness, remove
heartache, and set free those who are in bondage. The
transformation occurs when you truly hunger to see God’s
presence manifest and His supernatural power and grace
operate for His glory—in your life, in the life of your family
members, and in the life of your church, city, and nation. For
the transformation of your mind to occur, you must regularly
do the following:
1. Immerse Your Mind in the Revelation of God’s Word
Revelation leads to a new experience with God. Our mind
begins to be renewed when the Holy Spirit reveals to us a truth
from God’s Word, and the renewal is complete when we
obediently put into practice the revelation we receive. When
Noah had a revelation of God’s purpose, his mind-set changed,
and, in obedience, he built an ark in the middle of a desert—
even though it had never rained before. When Peter had a
revelation of Jesus as the Messiah, his mind-set changed, and
his life was established on a course that led him to be a
principal leader through whom Christ established His beloved
church.
Without the revelation of the Word, we cannot
experience transformation.
2. Meditate on the Word
The Lord commanded Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day
and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is
written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). In some
religions, to meditate means to “empty” the mind of all
thoughts, but that is not what biblical meditation means. In
fact, emptying our mind can be a dangerous practice, because
it lowers our spiritual guard and opens the door for demons to
influence us. We know that the enemy doesn’t wait for an
invitation to enter—he searches for an opportunity to take
over the territory of our mind and heart. (See, for example,
Matthew 12:43–45.)
To meditate in a biblical sense means to spend time reading,
studying, and thinking about the truths of God’s words—
including the prophetic words written in the Bible and those
given to us directly by the Holy Spirit as revealed knowledge
and wisdom—and considering how to apply them to our life,
for the purpose of filling our mind and heart with God’s
revelation. Every person in the world practices “meditation” in
the general sense of focusing his thoughts on particular
things; the question is, on what is he reflecting? For instance,
when we worry about something, we are meditating in a
negative sense, filling our mind with doubt, anxiety, pessimism,
and other destructive attitudes. The Scriptures give us clear
guidelines for what we should be thinking about. Paul wrote,
“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever
things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are
lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue
and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these
things” (Philippians 4:8).
If we don’t purposefully take time to meditate on God’s Word,
our mind can be dominated by temporal, carnal thinking. For
example, if we allow fearful thoughts to remain in our mind for a
long period of time, a fearful mentality can become established
in us. Yet, if we meditate on biblical truths that assure us of
God’s faithfulness, trustworthiness, and promise of help in time
of need, we will have His peace. “You will keep him in perfect
peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You”
(Isaiah 26:3).
To meditate in a biblical sense means to spend time reading,
studying, and thinking about the truths of God’s words and
considering how to apply them to our life.

3. Seek Supernatural Experiences

with God
As we increasingly align our mind with the mind of Christ, we
will have encounters or experiences with God that cause us
gradually to disassociate ourselves from the thinking of the
natural realm in order to move into the supernatural realm and
to think in supernatural terms. This doesn’t mean that we will
become disconnected from reality, turn “mystic” or “odd,” or
begin to deny reality or the existence of the natural world. We
will continue to use our natural mind, our common sense, and
our five physical senses to function under natural conditions.
However, our spiritual senses will be awakened to see, hear,
and perceive God; and we will learn to live in such a way that
these senses are continually on full alert and totally
functioning, enabling us to know God better, to confirm His
will, and to discern when and how He wants to move
supernaturally in our world. We will walk in the assurance that
God is always carrying out His purposes, just as He reveals
them.
That is how we can go beyond human reason and logic,
thinking and living above natural limitations. In the
supernatural realm, there is no room for doubt, because
everything is possible with God! We are always ready to be a
vessel through whom God can manifest the reality of His
kingdom and bring His supernatural power to this world—here
and now—to meet people’s present needs.
In the New Testament, Saul’s encounter with the glory of
Jesus (see Acts 9:3–4) transformed his outlook on God and
renewed his life, so that even his name was changed—to Paul.
His mind-set, his “structure” of living, and the message he
proclaimed were all transformed. Paul had been an “old
wineskins” religious man and a persecutor of the church, full of
hate, and blind to how God was working through Jesus and the
church. But when his mind was transformed by his
supernatural experience with Christ and his subsequent study
of the Scriptures with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, he was
able to see the reality of God’s kingdom and to work to bring
that reality on earth as it is in heaven.
 Supernatural experiences are an aspect of our inheritance as
children of God and citizens of His kingdom; often, such
experiences are the only way many people can understand
certain spiritual truths and thereby change their outlook. For
example, we don’t really know what it is like to be born again
until we have a genuine salvation experience, with a knowledge
of the forgiveness of our sins and the indwelling presence of
God’s Holy Spirit. Many leaders in the church today are trying
to prevent people from having experiences with the power of
God, because they are afraid that such encounters are either
deceptions of the enemy or manufactured events. We must, of
course, exercise spiritual discernment regarding supernatural
experiences. However, we must also realize that we are being
deceived if we do not have genuine encounters with God and
His supernatural power, because then we are living below the
reality God intends for us.
The gospel messages that produce the most powerful changes
in people’s lives are those presented by individuals who have
experienced what they preach. Receiving a revelation of any
kind from God is a supernatural experience. If we try to preach
any aspect of the gospel without having received revelation
about it through the Holy Spirit and/or without having
experienced it, our message will lack authority and substance.
Our encounters with God—or lack of them—govern how our
mind thinks. If we experience the reality of His kingdom, and
then renew our mind accordingly, we will never again be the
same or think in the same way. For example, after we have
experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoken in other
tongues, our spiritual mind-set changes. Likewise, our
perspective alters after we receive a healing, a miracle, a
prophetic word, or any other supernatural manifestation.
Knowledge is not truly yours until you have an experience
with what you know.

4. Pray to God and Commune with

Him
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we
pray, we can experience communion with God as we spend time
worshipping Him, listening to His voice, and receiving His
direction through the Holy Spirit. We are always changed in
some way when we enter into a relationship with another
person. It is the same when we spend time in God’s presence—
we become more like Him, and we are better able to understand
His heart, His mind, and His ways. As we develop an ever
deeper relationship with Him, we can increasingly pray
according to His will—for the advancement of His kingdom on
earth as it is in heaven.
5. Align Your Mind with the Mind of Christ
As an act of our will, we need to pray to the Lord, “Let Christ’s
mind be fully formed in me. I purposefully set my mind on what
is ‘above’—especially on You, Lord, our unlimited God! I will
think about what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good
report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. I will bring all my thoughts
into alignment with the mind of Christ, so that they are
‘captive’ to Him. In Jesus’ name, amen!” (See Colossians 3:1–
2.)
Prayer for Transformation of the Mind
Is your mind being transformed so that the supernatural power
of God can move in your life? The purpose of this
transformation is to establish Christ’s church, which the enemy
—through “religion” and false philosophies—seeks to
undermine and destroy. When your mind is renewed, you can
flow in accordance with the “river” of the Spirit—
spontaneously and with freedom. Rather than quench the Holy
Spirit (see 1 Thessalonians 5:19), you will give Him His rightful
place in your life, acknowledging the One who sent Him—God
the Father—and the One in whose name He was sent (see John
14:26).
Dear friend, I sincerely believe that this is the time for you to
begin to renew your mind—or to advance to a greater level of
transformation. It is time for you to let go of a mentality that
limits you in fulfilling God’s purposes, one that has kept you
trapped in a repetitive cycle of thinking, preventing you from
experiencing abundant life and seeing God’s power manifest
here and now. I invite you to pray the following simple but
powerful prayer. I know of innumerable testimonies of people
who have prayed this prayer and have experienced a total
transformation of their mind—and their life.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the revelation You have given
me through Your Word about how my mind can be renewed.
Today, I want a radical change in my life. I repent of living
according to the mentality of this world and of gratifying the
sinful nature. I renounce the negative influences of the world,
including “religion” and the limitations of human knowledge
and reason. I want Your mind, Lord. I want Your way of
thinking. I want Your supernatural mind-set. I surrender my
mind and my thoughts to Your supernatural power, so that
they can be exchanged for Your mind and thoughts. Please
renew my mind, so that I can become a useful instrument in
Your hands for Your kingdom and can take this revelation to
other people who are trapped in the same condition I have
been in. “Here I am, Lord; send me!” In the name of Jesus, I
thank You for hearing me and for activating Your supernatural
power over my life—here and now. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you are suffering from a physical or mental disorder, like the
young men we read about in the testimonies earlier in this
chapter, I pray that God’s supernatural power would fill you
right now and make you completely whole, in the name of
Jesus! Receive your healing by faith and begin to thank God
for working a miracle in your life. All things are possible with
God!
11
 A Heart After God’s Own Heart

At the beginning of my ministry, God gave me this prophetic

word through Apostle Ronald Short: “I will give you a heart
with the fire of Jeremiah and the speed of Elijah, and a heart
after My own heart, just like David’s.” This word impacted me
greatly, because, for a long time, I had asked myself, Is it
possible to have a heart after God’s own heart? Are we born
with such a heart, or is transformation required to obtain it?
That was when I first understood that such a heart is gained
through a supernatural transformation by the finished work of
the cross. I knew that although I didn’t yet have the heart
described in the prophetic word, and that developing it would
not take place overnight, I would go through a process that
would enable me to receive it.
My desire has always been to have a heart after God’s heart.
And, by the grace of God, I have seen the above three
characteristics increasingly develop and manifest in my life.
The “fire” of God is always in my heart, burning endlessly for
Him, for His kingdom, and for people’s souls. (See Jeremiah
20:9.) Furthermore, every endeavor I am involved with
accelerates in terms of growth and the fruit it yields. Third, I
have a heart that passionately seeks God’s presence with holy
fear and a desire to please Him; and, by God’s anointing, I also
have a disposition for spiritual warfare and conquest over the
enemy, just as God gave David.
The Lord has led me through a process of supernatural
transformation of the heart that continues to this day. Once, I
had no passion to seek God; but after I received Jesus as my
Savior and Lord, He kindled that passion within me. At one
time in my life, I had neither the attitude of a conqueror, nor
was I courageous; but after God delivered me of fear, I was able
to develop those qualities. What I am today is due to the
supernatural grace of God. I am a living testimony that He can
thoroughly change the heart of a man. It is possible to have a
heart after God’s own heart!
David’s Heart Versus Saul’s Heart
The prophet Samuel announced to Saul, the first king over
Israel, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord
has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the
Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people,
because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” (1
Samuel 13:14). God had desired to work with and through Saul,
but the king repeatedly disobeyed His voice. He would filter
God’s clear instructions by acting according to what seemed
reasonable to his human intellect. Saul pretended to seek and
to serve God, but his heart was set on his own agenda. His
intentions and motivations toward the Lord were not genuine
—he merely practiced a religious ritual.
For example, Saul seemed to treat the ark of the covenant not
as the holy dwelling place of God’s presence but as a “good
luck charm” in battle. He would seek God only when he faced
difficulties. But even then, he again did not obey God’s
commands, because he always ended up doing what he had
already planned to do in his heart. Of supreme importance to
Saul were his position and his preeminence in the eyes of the
people. He walked so far away from the Lord that he ended up
consulting a witch. After this incident, Saul and his son
Jonathan died on the battlefield.
Although Saul was God’s anointed king, he ended up a failure
because he didn’t allow God to guide him, and he didn’t follow
His counsel. We must all examine our heart to make sure it
doesn’t have any of the characteristics of Saul’s disobedient
heart. If it does, we should diligently seek God’s forgiveness
and the transformation of our heart so that we may learn to
hear and obey God and take responsibility for growing in
Christlikeness. Likewise, we must not follow any leader who
has a heart like Saul’s; otherwise, we may be destroyed along
with him.
God rejected Saul because of the king’s continued
disobedience, and He raised up another man—David—to be
king, instead. While Saul held on to his rebellion and did not
allow God to form him, David had a heart after God’s own heart.
David’s good character had been established long before he
was called to the throne; as a youth, he had spent much time
worshipping God, meditating on His Word, and delighting in
Him. To receive God’s acceptance, and to avoid His rejection,
we must allow Him to form our heart to be like His own.
This truth is what a man named Abedef came to recognize. He
thought he would conquer the world with his athletic abilities,
until a personal crisis led to the transformation of his heart in
Christ. The following is his story. “From the first day I arrived
in the United States from Haiti, the only thing I knew,
experienced, and breathed was basketball. I remember returning
home with body aches and black-and-blue marks as I struggled
to become a professional player. My high-school years were
devoted to attaining success and fame as I dreamed about how
I would finally be able to bring my family out of Haiti’s poverty.
“Basketball was my idol—it was what I adored and what I
lived for; it was everything I knew and loved. It was my ‘drug,’
the vehicle for my exceeding pride and arrogance—on and off
the court. Although I didn’t use illegal drugs, have
promiscuous sex, or drink alcohol, I would become impatient
and would verbally unload my anger on my family. Then
something terrible happened: While practicing for a
championship game, I suffered a meniscus tear and was rushed
to the emergency room, where the doctors told me I would not
be able to play basketball for at least three months. That meant
the end of my season. Consequently, I fell into a deep
depression. I lay on the hospital bed, crying, until I exclaimed,
‘If I can’t play basketball, what reason is there for me to
continue living?’ Then and there, I decided to take my own life.
“That same day, a friend whom I had not seen for years called
me and said, ‘I haven’t heard from you in a long time. Why
don’t you come to church with me?’ I didn’t want to go to
church, because I thought I would hear a boring message and
would leave the same way I had come in. My friend insisted
until I agreed to go with her to a Bible study in someone’s
house. There, the power of God greatly impacted me. Halfway
through the teaching, the leader said to me, ‘You can be healed
of your condition. God will heal you.’ Although I felt a bit
skeptical, I said, ‘All right; I surrender. I want to see God heal
me!’ The leader prayed for me, and I felt heat travel throughout
my entire body.
 “The next day, I started to play basketball again! My trainer
couldn’t fathom what was happening. The doctors didn’t
understand it. But God did much more than that. He changed
my heart and showed me my true purpose in life. I no longer
depend on basketball. I don’t need any idols. I need God and
His eternal promises. I was set free from depression and was
able to finish my last basketball season. All the hunger I’d had
for the sport was transferred to a desire to serve God and to
preach His Word. Now people admire me not for who I am but
for what the Lord has called me to do. My dream was to play in
the major leagues, but now I am finally on the right path. My
destiny was not basketball but serving God.”
“A Man After My Own Heart”
“[God] raised up for them David as king, to whom also He
gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse,
a man after My own heart who will do all My will’” (Acts
13:22). David is the only person named in Scripture whom God
the Father specifically referred to as having a heart after His
own heart. You may wonder, “How could David have been a
man after God’s own heart if he became an adulterer (see 2
Samuel 11:1–5), a murderer (see 2 Samuel 11:6–17), and a man
who spilled much blood (see, for example, 2 Samuel 8:1–6)?” If
we look at David from a human perspective, it makes no sense
for God to consider him a man after His own heart; therefore,
we must look at him from God’s perspective.
What led God to forgive David, remove his sin, and preserve
his kingdom? David had slept with Bathsheba, the wife of one
of his soldiers, impregnated her, and then arranged to have her
husband killed. But God knew David’s innermost heart. He
knew David was sensitive to Him and that he had allowed Him
to greatly mold him in the past. Moreover, whenever David
sinned, he was quick to genuinely repent, because he loved
God passionately and recognized that he had deeply offended
Him. (See, for example, Psalm 51.)
I am not saying that God ever tolerates sin or agrees with it.
But, again, He sees our heart; and He considers us according
to our finished state in eternity—as having the righteousness
of Jesus and a transformed heart and life. Perhaps you have
had a major failing, as David did, and you think it is the end of
your relationship with God or even your life. Yet, if you will
repent, He will restore you and lead you to the destiny to
which He called you before the beginning of time. The
Scriptures say, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but
whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy”
(Proverbs 28:13). God expects you to repent of your sin and to
believe that you have been completely forgiven in Christ.
Then, He wants you to allow Him to continue to transform your
heart.
Divine grace is not a license to sin but rather the supernatural
means by which we receive a heart that is pure and clean, and
through which we can draw near to our heavenly Father.
Therefore, whenever we fail, we should immediately go to God
for forgiveness through Christ. “Let us therefore come boldly
to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). If our heart has
not been transformed, so that we fail to understand God’s
grace by supernatural revelation and do not repent, we will
abuse that grace, dishonoring the precious blood Christ shed
for us. We must experience the transformation of our heart!
Alex is the owner of a prestigious international legal firm that
deals with cases in the United States, Canada, Panama, and
Honduras. Yet he experienced deep grief. When God began the
process of transforming his heart, he received new joy and
spiritual freedom. Here is his story: “My wife and I lived
through a very difficult crisis—we lost two of our children. One
died at age twenty-eight and the other at age thirty-three.
Personally, I believe the death of a child is the hardest blow
anyone can experience. In this condition, I attended a meeting
at King Jesus Ministry, which made a great impact on me
spiritually. God told me that I had to make a change, that a new
season was coming for me. I experienced a peace that I had
never felt before.
“From that day, God has dealt with my heart, and our life has
changed 100 percent. He has prospered me as a man, as a
father, and as the priest of my home, and He has removed my
deep grief over the death of my children. Furthermore, He has
prospered me in a supernatural way. My legal firm has grown
greatly, and I truly believe that the Lord has given me a gift
that I didn’t have before. We have invested in many things and
now own several construction companies, community
development companies, and pharmaceutical companies, as
well as a film production company, and we continue to grow.
God has made me influential in order to impact my city for Him;
but, most of all, He has built up my wife and me and given us
hope, so that we can provide our grandchildren with guidance
and purpose.”
 God gives us His supernatural grace to live a holy life.
Characteristics of a Heart After God’s Own Heart
The only way to have true success in our journey through this
world—success that will last for eternity—is for our heart to be
in the right place. How did David merit being called “a man
after God’s own heart”? How did he capture the heart of God?
The following are the major characteristics of a heart after
God’s own heart.
1. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Passionately Seeks God’s
Presence
One of the virtues of David’s heart was that he was passionate
about God. He wanted to know God, to love Him, to dwell in
His presence, and to receive direct revelation from Him. He
sought to please God and to serve Him with his whole being.
David wrote, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You;
my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and
thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You
in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory” (Psalm
63:1–2).
David was always “thirsty” for God—and his thirst impelled
him to seek the Lord’s presence continuously. Psalm 42
provides another vivid image of a heart that is thirsty for God:
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for
You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God”
(Psalm 42:1–2). Such a thirst for God cannot be manufactured.
It manifests in a person’s life during a sincere, continuous
quest to experience His presence.
David was consumed by this quest. He sought God’s face
every day, and even during the night. (See Psalm 63:6.) And,
each time he was confronted with a crisis, he would look to
God for help, because he totally depended on his relationship
with the Lord. The more we love God, the more we will desire
Him; and the more we know of Him, the more we will want to
learn of Him—always more. “More” of God will never be
enough for us!
A lack of spiritual thirst will produce spiritual dryness, which
will yield only legalism, religion, and spiritual death.
2. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Passionately
Worships God
David was also passionate about worshipping God. He wrote,
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I
may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple”
(Psalm 27:4). I believe David altered the history of worship by
establishing a pattern of praise and worship for Israel that was
observed by God’s people from Old Testament times through
the practices of the New Testament church—and his influence
continues to impact us today. From David’s writings in the
book of Psalms, it seems as if he lived thousands of years
ahead of his time—as if he lived according to the grace
released by Christ’s death on the cross and in the power of His
resurrection. (See, for example, Psalm 16:9–11.)
Generally, David did everything in his life from a position of
worship, because he had received the revelation of how
worship affects the heart of God. He knew that worship greatly
pleases Him! If we had a revelation of this truth, we would
worship God more. We must understand that, like the exercise
of our faith, our worship of God develops and matures the more
we practice it.
Let us now explore the effects of worship on God’s heart and
on our own heart.
Our Passionate Worship Opens God’s Heart to Us and
Our Heart to His
Our genuine, passionate worship of God opens His heart to us
while softening our own heart, because it is an act of voluntary
submission and obedience to Him. Obedience is one of the
greatest acts of worship. If we have a heart that is hardened
and unwilling to submit to God, our “worship” will be rejected
by Him, and He will close off His heart to us. Authentic
worship makes us more sensitive to the Lord, leading us to
recognize our true spiritual condition so that we will surrender
to God, repent, and allow His Holy Spirit to operate the needed
transformation within us.
When you are a genuine worshipper, your life is submitted to
God in everything—He takes first place over everyone and
everything else.
Our true worship will reveal God’s presence, so that we will
often tangibly sense it. A true worshipper knows how to
respond when His presence manifests. There are times in a
church service when the spiritual atmosphere is so full of joy
that shouting, applauding, and dancing are the best response.
But there are also times of worship that are so holy that a joyful
shout would seem out of place. Those are moments in which
our approach should be to merely wait in reverent silence.
 True worship means the King is present.
We must be careful to watch our attitudes during worship and
not allow ourselves to become listless, bored, or angry as our
mind wanders to dwell on temporal matters. Our mind-set
toward God should be that of attentiveness, love, reverence,
and gratitude. As in any other personal relationship, our
attitudes toward God will define the quality, intensity, and
duration of our interactions with Him.
The highest level of worship is to “become” worship. In other
words, our entire life should be an expression of worship to
God.
Our Passionate Worship Leads to Intimacy with God
Many people today avoid intimacy with other people. They
are afraid of getting too close to others because they don’t
want their own faults, weaknesses, and failings to be exposed.
A true worshipper doesn’t fear going before the presence of
God, regardless of his current spiritual condition, because he
knows that God loves him deeply and wants the best for him.
Such an individual passionately desires to be close to the Lord
so that his heart may be transformed by the Holy Spirit,
enabling him to carry out the purposes of God’s own heart.
What touches the heart of God? What pleases Him? What
moves Him? What makes His presence manifest? The answer
to all these questions is a relationship of intimacy with Him.
True worship may be compared to a “romance” with God. For
example, when we begin a time of worship by praising God and
thanking Him, it is as if we are in the “courting stage” of our
relationship with Him. As the Scriptures say, “Enter into His
gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise”
(Psalm 100:4), and “Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving” (Psalm 95:2).
We “romance” God through our praise, thanksgiving, and
worship, by which we develop intimacy with Him.
After praise and thanksgiving, worship represents the
“marriage” of our relationship with God. The Bible uses
analogies of the sexual relationship between a husband and
wife to describe the depth of the intimacy between God and His
people, which is a reflection of their mutual love and
faithfulness. (See, for example, Ephesians 5:30–32.) Today,
many people think of intimacy in terms of a casual sexual
relationship, such as many couples seem to engage in today.
But the intimacy I refer to is a union that is pure, within a
covenant relationship, in which each party manifests deep
respect and tenderness for the other and seeks to give to the
other.
Worship from a believer whose heart is obedient, and who
expresses his love for God with messages of trust and
devotion, will set the tone for intimacy, thereby beautifying the
atmosphere for unity, or spiritual oneness, with God. We must
offer God our undivided attention so He will experience our
genuine love, allowing the moment of intimacy to manifest.
When we set everything else aside to seek God, He will give us
His undivided attention. When this happens, we can then say
that we have experienced a relationship of mutual love with
God through worship.
When we worship God, we give Him our absolute and
 undivided attention, and in return we receive His undivided
attention.
In contrast, if our attitude is wrong and our actions are
thoughtless during a time of worship, we will cause God’s
presence to leave before this unity can occur. Unfortunately,
after receiving what they need from God—such as healing,
provision, or another miracle—some people abruptly cease
worshipping Him. Their worship was never really genuine—
they were moved to worship God not because of a deep love
for Him but merely because of self-interest or a sense of
desperation over their troubles. True worship that leads to
intimacy with God and brings transformation to our heart
occurs when we die to self, lose our awareness of this world
and its problems, and focus only on Him—for His own sake.
We must worship Him with a sincere heart until His presence
comes! Lose yourself in God until you are one with Him. Similar
to the sexual act in marriage, our worship should not be merely
a “quick” experience, because that will neither please God nor
satisfy our heart. Therefore, when you go into God’s presence
—when you enter into eternity with Him—take time to
commune with Him as you would with a beloved spouse.
God reveals His presence to us when His heart is pleased.
Our Passionate Worship Leads to “Conception” and New Life
When our relationship with God is stagnant, we will not be
able to manifest new life in Him. We cannot really know God or
fulfill our purpose on earth if we are not true, passionate
worshippers. It is during the intimacy of worship that we
“conceive” how God wants us to carry out His purposes,
plans, and vision. Moreover, when our worship is lifeless, we
will merely be going through a religious ritual, and our spiritual
womb will become “barren.” Our worship should “birth”
salvations, healings, miracles, deliverances, visions, dreams,
revelations, and heart transformations as the fruit of our
intimacy with God. During my times of worship, the Father has
revealed many of the truths I write about in my books. He has
also given me the creative ideas I have implemented for the
expansion of His kingdom, as well as my vision to impact the
nations for Christ.
The main purpose of worship is intimacy, and the purpose of
intimacy is to conceive and produce new life.
Our Passionate Worship Causes God to Make Himself Known
When God’s people worship Him wholeheartedly, He will
reveal Himself to them. Many Christians go to church just to
hear the Word preached, and they never join in during the
praise and worship portion of the service. I believe this shows
a lack of reverence for God. A number of believers seem to
have lost the revelation that Jesus is our King and High Priest
and that we are called to prepare an atmosphere in which He
can manifest His presence, speak to His people, and perform
supernatural miracles, healings, and deliverances.
As we worship God, He gives us revelation of His mind and
heart.
Our worship cannot be monotonous, mechanical, or repetitive
if we want God to reveal Himself to us. Rather, it must be
heartfelt and intimate. The Lord wants to show Himself as the
Almighty, the Healer, the Deliverer, the Provider, the One who
baptizes with supernatural power—the One who is our All in
All. God is eternal, and there is always a new aspect of His
nature for us to discover. We must not become spiritually
complacent or cease progressing in our capacity to worship
Him, because we will miss out on His revelation.
Our Passionate Worship Leads to Personal Transformation and
Corporate Revival
When we enter into God’s presence during worship, our heart
is changed to become what He originally intended it to be, as a
reflection of His own heart. And, as we progress in the process
of transformation, we are able to manifest the realm of heaven
on earth through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. When
this occurs, our churches and communities will experience
revival.
We must understand that revival will cease if we no longer
allow our heart to be transformed. Our relationship with God
will be contaminated, and we will see a reappearance of
“religion” and a return to a natural, temporal mind-set. If we
want to maintain God’s presence in our life and sustain a spirit
of revival, we cannot allow our love for Him or our worship of
Him to grow cold! I believe that much of the church today has
no passion for God’s presence, and, as a result, we have a
church without power.
Unless our worship of God is genuine, His presence will not
come; and, without His presence, we cannot experience
transformation.
Our Passionate Worship Enables Us to “Carry” God’s
Presence Everywhere We Go
 The presence of God is an “atmosphere” that a true
worshipper carries wherever he goes. We can “transport” the
essence of heaven to others, so that God is glorified as He
bestows His presence and power to transform people’s lives.
The following testimony from a Venezuelan pastor reveals
what can happen when a person begins to seek God
wholeheartedly. Here is his story: “I was born into a
dysfunctional family. My father abandoned us when I was only
four years old. I suffered from loneliness, lack of love, slander,
and instability, and I was rebellious and angry throughout my
childhood and teenage years. At a young age, I moved to the
United States, where I eventually studied forensic science and
psychology. Even though I went to school and worked
nonstop, nothing filled the void in my heart, calmed my anxiety,
or satisfied my ego. I attended several churches but never
experienced any change. My heart was hardened.
“For more than twenty-five years, I worked for the greatest oil
and energy companies in the world, where I became greatly
influential at every level. By all appearances, it seemed that I
had total control of my life. I was a good businessman, and I
had substantial education, knowledge, fame, and wealth. I was
independent, enjoyed the pleasures of life, and had famous
friends—but nothing seemed to be enough. All my marriages
were characterized by fights, manipulation, lack of
communication, and division.
“When my present marriage was on the verge of divorce, I
began to ask God for supernatural intervention. My wife used
to watch the program Tiempo de Cambio (Time for Change),
hosted by Apostle Guillermo Maldonado, and I, too, began to
watch it. By this time, the war in Iraq had begun, and the
corporation for which I worked had assigned me to that part of
the world, assuring me that the building designated for the Red
Cross would not be in danger. However, the day I was
supposed to travel, I heard an audible voice say to me, ‘Don’t
go.’ I obeyed, and, four days later, I saw a news broadcast
showing images of the Red Cross building being bombarded.
That voice saved my life!
“Sometime later, my wife and I visited King Jesus Ministry,
and I felt I had arrived home. Everything in our lives began to
change very rapidly. We started attending the church and
covenanted for the projects of the ministry. Because of the
vision God gave us through our spiritual father, we experienced
a total turnaround. God restored our marriage and finances. He
delivered us from unforgiveness, anxiety, fear, the spirit of
independence, rebellion, egotism, hardness of heart, past
wounds, sickness, false mental structures, religiosity, lack of
communication, passivity, and more. He has filled us with His
supernatural love, grace, and favor. We have become pastors,
and we participate in the global spiritual movement that
influences every stratum of society.”
In worship, when we exalt Christ’s finished work on the cross,
honor God’s name, and extol His glory and majesty, He brings
His power and presence into our midst here and now.
3. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Is Obedient and
Submissive
Unless we have a heart after God’s own heart, it will be
difficult for us to obey His will—and we may even turn
rebellious, as Saul did. In chapter 7, “The Obedient Heart,” we
talked about the fact that Saul’s “obedience” went only
halfway. But David fully followed God’s will. In one of his
psalms, he wrote, “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and
Your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).
A complete dedication to God’s will was also a main
characteristic of the heart of Jesus, who was called the “Son of
David” (see, for example, Matthew 1:1). “Jesus said to [His
disciples], ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and
to finish His work’” (John 4:34). And God said of Jesus, “This
is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
(Matthew 17:5).
We can declare the lives of Christ and David “successful” due
to the fact that they each had a heart after God’s own heart and
they each fulfilled their divine purpose, completing all the work
God had called them to do. In addition, both left a kingdom
inheritance for future generations. Jesus and David established
a pattern for us by demonstrating what it means to have a heart
that continually follows after God. Both had a heart that adored
and worshipped the Father “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24)
and was willing to obey Him beyond its own strength, through
the power of His divine grace.
We cannot have a heart after God’s own heart if we have not
learned to fully submit to, and obey, His will. Again, total
obedience means doing whatever God says, wherever and
whenever He says to do it, and however He wants it
accomplished. Are we able to say that God can do anything He
wants in and through our lives? Are we willing to obey Him
always? The Lord seeks a generation through which He can
carry out His purposes for this momentous time in human
history.
A person with a heart after God’s own heart allows God to do
whatever He desires through him.
4. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Is Quick to Repent of Sin
When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his
adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David
immediately recognized his sin, humbled himself before God,
and repented. “So David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned
against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also
has put away your sin; you shall not die’” (2 Samuel 12:13).
As we saw earlier, one of David’s virtues was that, whenever
he failed God, he was quick to repent. He had a tender heart
and a passion to be in God’s presence. When he repented of
the above incident, he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O
God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me
away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit
from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold
me by Your generous Spirit” (Psalm 51:10–12).
Our true repentance always brings us back to the presence of
God.
There are people who refuse to repent because they love their
ego or fleshly pleasures more than they love God, and sin has
hardened their heart. Consequently, they begin to feel that
their ungodly behavior is acceptable and within their rights.
Yet when a person genuinely repents of his sin, he can then
produce fruit that is characteristic of a heart after God’s own
heart.
 The sin that we refuse to repent of is the sin that will mold
our character.
Is there any sin in your life that you have not repented of?
One important reason we must dedicate time to reading the
Bible is that, in the Scriptures, we discover what pleases God
and what displeases Him. If we have an ongoing, daily
relationship with God, His Spirit will continually reveal to us
His will. If you have experienced the conviction of the Holy
Spirit with respect to any sinful attitude or behavior in your life,
repent of it right now so that your heart can remain a heart after
God’s own heart.
It is impossible to repent if we don’t acknowledge our sin as
sin.
At the beginning of my Christian life, I was taught that when I
sinned, I was not to hide from God but to repent and go before
Him immediately, confessing my wrongs. However, in time, I
began to develop a mentality of sinfulness, because I was
focused on my sins rather than on God’s grace. I was
constantly aware of my weaknesses, so that I could not enjoy
my Christian life. I needed to receive God’s revelation on this
subject. That is when the Holy Spirit led me to understand the
processes involved in the transformation of the heart and the
renewal of the mind. I comprehended that God had given me
His supernatural grace so that I could experience a clear
conscience, having a heart that not only repented of sin but
also desired to live in holiness, integrity, and righteousness
before Him. I learned that I am continually being transformed
by God’s Spirit and that I should not expect myself to have yet
reached perfection. And I realized that I may still sometimes sin
and fail God—but also that God has changed my heart so that I
no longer sin as a lifestyle.
Today, every time I enter God’s presence, I repent and ask Him
to remove all sin, transgression, and iniquity that might be in
my life. I do this even when I am not aware of any explicit sin. I
wash my humanity in the blood of Christ every day as an
element of the process of transformation. Now, every time I feel
conviction for sin, it is not the result of a guilty conscience on
my part but because the Holy Spirit is prompting me to repent
in order to change my heart. Therefore, whenever He convicts,
I repent immediately and experience His forgiveness and grace
so that I may move forward in the life and power of God. “If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
We can overcome the strength of sin by repenting of our sin
immediately and by accepting God’s forgiveness and grace on
our behalf. Otherwise, we will establish a repetitive cycle of
sin
in our life.
5. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Has the Quality of
Innocence
David prayed to the Lord, “Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord,
my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). David was not
innocent of sin—as none of us is. However, he desired that his
thoughts and words would be fully acceptable to God,
enabling him to live in a state of innocence before Him.
 Jesus told His disciples, “Be wise as serpents and harmless
[“innocent” niv, nasb] as doves” (Matthew 10:16). There is a
difference between innocence and ignorance. Innocence means
not knowing what God doesn’t want us to know. Ignorance
means choosing not to know what God does want us to know,
which is equivalent to disobedience. I believe that when God
commanded the first human beings not to eat of the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil, it was because He didn’t want
them to have personal, specific knowledge of evil. However,
they wanted to have the knowledge that God had forbidden
them, and, as a result, they fell from grace.
Jesus also emphasized, “Unless you are converted and
become as little children, you will by no means enter the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Here Christ was referring
to the innocence of a young child’s heart. A child’s heart isn’t
hardened, because he hasn’t yet experienced the
disappointment and emotional pain that many teenagers and
adults have known after being mistreated by others—feelings
of hurt and betrayal that lead them to hold on to offenses. That
is why it is easier for a child to trust in God’s goodness and
promises than for many adults. Such a nature of innocence is
one of the characteristics of a heart after God’s own heart.
We need to recover a heart of innocence—one that is not
hardened and that trusts in God and believes in Him 100
percent. If you have lost that quality due to past hurts and
offenses, so that your faith has been undermined, today is the
day for your heart to return to innocence. Ask God to forgive
you for hard-heartedness and to restore your heart. Then He
can manifest His grace and power in and through your life.
6. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Has the Attitude of a
Servant
David was a true worshipper of God who had the heart of a
servant. For example, when he was merely a youth, he offered
his services to single-handedly strike down the giant Goliath,
who was part of the Philistine army attacking Israel. David
volunteered out of devotion to God, as His servant, because
the Philistines had “defied the armies of the living God” (1
Samuel 17:36), and no one else in God’s army was doing
anything about it. David said with holy confidence, “[God] will
deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).
And God did.
Our service for God should never be disconnected from our
worship of Him. The book of Isaiah describes the heavenly
beings called the seraphim, who are special angels of God. In
the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “seraphim”
(Isaiah 6:2, 6) means “burning.” The prophet Isaiah related the
appearance of the seraphim: “Each one had six wings: with
two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with
two he flew” (Isaiah 6:2). I believe that the wings that cover the
faces and feet of the seraphim represent worship and reverence
of God, while the wings with which they fly represent service
to God. The seraphim have four wings dedicated to worship
and two dedicated to service. Similarly, we should devote
ourselves first to worship and then to service, in order to keep
these two aspects of our relationship with God in proper
proportion in our life.
Our worship of God should always be our first priority; then,
as a result of that worship, we will render a life of service to
Him. However, we must also recognize that worship alone—
without service—is hypocrisy. As Jesus said, “You shall
worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve”
(Matthew 4:10). His statement reinforces the idea that worship
should always be followed by service.
Unless our service is born of worship, we will often perform it
mechanically, and it will not be characterized by
God’s presence and power.
7. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Fears God and Seeks to
Please Him
One of my greatest holy fears is that I will stand up to preach
but God will not be with me because my disobedience will have
caused Him to grieve. Consequently, I continually ask the Lord
to give me a heart that holds Him in reverence, so that I will
always seek to please Him, and so that the most important
pursuits of my life will be to reflect His heart and to obey His
Word.
The apostle Paul wrote, “For do I now persuade men, or God?
Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would
not be a bondservant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). Sometimes,
when we try to please other people, we end up dishonoring
and displeasing God. To avoid doing so, we must be sure that
we have not elevated other people above Him in our heart.
The “fear of God” refers to reverence and respect for Him.
The Scriptures say, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by
whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians
4:30), and “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
It is sad but true that many churches and ministries
systematically violate these Scriptures. Each time the Holy
Spirit wants to move among the people, He is suppressed by
the erroneous attitudes and actions of church leaders who are
afraid of what people might think or do. Then we ask why there
is no movement of the Holy Spirit in our churches, or why God
doesn’t manifest His supernatural presence and power in our
midst with miracles, signs, and wonders.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t manifest on our terms but according to
His own terms. In the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit is depicted as
a dove. A natural dove is sensitive to sound and sudden
movements. God uses the dove as a symbol of His Spirit
because He, also, is very sensitive, especially in relation to the
condition of our heart. We must treat Him with reverence,
respect, tenderness, and spiritual knowledge—hence the
necessity of knowing God’s nature. If we are rude and
unthinking in our relationship with Him, and if we do not
concern ourselves with pleasing Him, we will “scare” away
God’s presence—we will “grieve” or “quench” His Spirit—
and He will not move in our lives.
Our resistance or indifference to God is a clear sign that we
are displeasing Him.
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and
the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13).
During the time that King Saul persecuted David, David had
opportunities to kill the king, but his fear of the Lord—
including a respect for His delegated authorities on earth—
kept him from doing so. David said, “I will not stretch out my
hand against my lord [Saul], for he is the Lord’s anointed” (1
Samuel 24:10). Many believers who lack the fear of God in their
heart end up judging various leaders in the church. As a result,
these believers often experience various troubles, such as
sickness, failed marriages, and rebellious behavior in their
children. To avoid grieving God by judging other believers,
especially His delegated authorities, we must develop a heart
like David’s—a heart after God’s own heart—with a healthy
fear of the Lord.
Knowing God produces a reverential fear of Him; the more we
know of God, the more we will develop a profound respect for
Him.
8. A Heart After God’s Own Heart Loves God Deeply
David’s psalms are filled with expressions of his deep and
enduring love for God. For example, in Psalm 18:1, he prayed, “I
will love You, O Lord, my strength,” and, in Psalm 31:23, he
urged God’s people, “Oh, love the Lord, all you His saints!
For the Lord preserves the faithful.”
Love is the essence of God. (See 1 John 4:8, 16.) He manifests
all the characteristics of love, such as patience and kindness.
He never manifests attitudes that are contrary to love, such as
envy, boastfulness, pride, rudeness, and selfishness. (See 1
Corinthians 13:4–5 niv.) The love of God goes above and
beyond human comprehension and reason, because it is
supernatural, unconditional, and unlimited.
Anyone who has a heart after God’s own heart will be filled
with His love. Our love for God is a response to the love He
first gave us. (See, for example, 1 John 4:19.) Our love comes
from Him, because He pours out His love into our hearts by His
Spirit (see Romans 5:5) when we are born again.
In the Old Testament, human beings received the mandate to
love God, but they struggled to fulfill it because they were
living under the law and had not received the indwelling Holy
Spirit, as we have. We must understand and receive the truth
that God loved us first and that we can love Him in return
because of His powerful work of grace within us.
The reason we must first be loved in order to love is that we
cannot give what we do not have. We need a revelation of the
love of God that has been given to us so that we can, in turn,
give His love to others. I needed this revelation after I had
children. When my oldest child was four years old, he would
come to me seeking affection and hugs, but I didn’t know how
to give them to him, because I had never received affectionate
love during my own childhood. Because such love was not
“in” me, I couldn’t give it to him. It was then that God filled me
with His own love, so that I was able to love my dear son.
God loved us first so that we could love Him and other people.
We should never boast about how much we love God but
about how much He loves us. His unconditional love is the
solution to many of our needs, such as a lack of identity,
feelings of rejection, low self-esteem, and other emotional
obstacles that prevent us from having wholeness of heart.
We are commanded in the Scriptures to love God (see, for
example, Mark 12:29–30), and this command is not optional. As
we have seen, we demonstrate our love for God by our
obedience to His Word. We cannot say that we love God and
then freely violate His commandments! We won’t fully obey
the Lord unless we develop a genuine, deep love for Him,
because authentic love for God aligns us with His purposes,
motivating us to keep His commandments. “Whoever keeps
[Jesus’] word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this
we know that we are in Him” (1 John 2:5). Love doesn’t
compromise when it comes to God’s principles; it doesn’t sin
by abusing others. Love will always be the right motivation for
everything we do. If we love God, we will guard our heart to
keep His commandments; as a result, obedience will become a
natural part of our lifestyle.
When we have genuine love for God, we are motivated to obey
Him, because real love always seeks to please Him.
To love God is to have a desire to please Him with every
aspect of our life—including our thoughts, our words, and our
actions. Accordingly, we are grieved when we offend Him.
Love always wants to please its beloved. Christ lived His entire
live for the purpose of honoring the Father and fulfilling His
will—not to be “seen” by others doing good deeds. When
love is our motivation, people will see our heart rather than the
works of our hands. My motivation for doing the Father’s will
comes from my love for Him. His love and His presence in my
life compel me to offer my life in service to Him to accomplish
His purposes. As my love for Him deepens, I become more
effective for Him, and I feel complete.
Genuine love must dwell within us if we are to demonstrate
that love to others.
Is it possible for us to love God with all our heart? Of course
we can! But we must make a decision to love God and to
receive the love that He has poured out into our heart by His
Spirit. To experience God’s love, we simply have to believe that
He has given it to us—and accept it! I am never satisfied with
just seeing miracles, signs, and wonders manifested, because
my chief passion is to know God and to love Him more each
day. When we love Him, our greatest desire in life is to
experience the manifestation of His presence; then, He gives us
everything else that we need, because His love couldn’t give
us anything less.
When we love God, our greatest desire in life is to experience
the manifestation of His presence.
In the following testimony, a woman named Vilma explains
how the love of God transformed her heart after she had
experienced years of abuse and rejection. “I was born and
raised in a Muslim home in Albania, never knowing who Jesus
Christ was. Throughout my childhood, I never received any
love, and the abuse and rejection I suffered led me to be
depressed.
“My father never loved my family. In my country, people don’t
speak up for themselves, much less on behalf of women. My
mother had been forced to marry my father—a violent man who
used to beat both of us, who never worked but would steal our
money, and who often didn’t even come home. He would
frequently take a gun and lock himself in a room with my
mother, and I never thought she would come out of that room
alive. He would shout at her, accusing her of being a prostitute
and claiming that he would rape me in front of her if he wanted
to. He never accepted me as his daughter, saying that I owed
him everything.
“When I was eleven years old, my mother decided to leave
Albania to seek a new life away from him. That was when we
came to the United States, penniless and without any clothes
except what we were wearing. I felt as if I had the weight of the
world on my shoulders, to the extent that I became cold and
emotionless. My mother was unable to show me love, so I
began to look for it elsewhere. By the time I was eighteen, I had
a boyfriend, and I thought that surely he would love me—
surely someone in this world would love me! But it was not so.
He would tell me that I was fat and ugly and that all he wanted
from me was sex. I became addicted to pornography. I no
longer cared about anything. I was so depressed that I vomited
every day. Finally, I decided I would join the adult
entertainment industry. I thought that if no one was going to
love me, I would at least gain something out of sex—money,
cars, homes, and anything else I could get my hands on. Yet,
when I was typing out my application/contract, my computer
froze and turned off. God had other plans for me that night.
“I felt so desperate that I ran out of my house in my pajamas
and went to a church that was always open for prayer. That
night, I gave my life to God and later began to attend a church
where I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. However, I
continued to place my boyfriend above God and stayed with
him for five more years, until I finally ended that relationship.
But I continued partying, drinking, and taking drugs.
“One day, while at home, I prayed, ‘Lord, please send me
Christian friends. I am tired of this life.’ A few months later,
while browsing a social network on the Internet, I saw some
pictures a friend had posted of a House of Peace. I called him
and began to attend those meetings, and my life began to
change. During a deliverance retreat, I was set free of
unforgiveness, sexual immorality, depression, abuse, hatred,
and rejection. I was able to feel my heavenly Father saying that
I was His precious possession, that He had always been my
Father, that He would never leave me, that He knew me and
loved me more than I could ever understand. I felt His words
penetrate my heart. I experienced God’s love, and He was able
to mend my broken heart. For the first time in twenty-five years,
I was called ‘daughter’ and not ‘prostitute.’ For the first time in
years, I was able to cry out, ‘Abba, Father, I need You.’
“Now I sleep in peace. Evil spirits used to torment me at night,
but now I feel God’s presence. The night before my water
baptism, my mother, who had been a devotee of the Islamic
religion, decided to be baptized together with me. Ever since
that time, I have seen the supernatural power of God in my life.
My broken heart was healed, and my faith was renewed. Now I
am happy, focused on the things of God, and enrolled in
nursing school. My desire is to be a missionary in the medical
field in India and to take the gospel of Jesus to Albania.”
Prayer to Receive a Heart After God’s Own Heart
As we conclude this chapter, let us ask ourselves some
searching questions. If we will be truthful when answering
them, our answers will reveal the current state of our heart as it
is being transformed to become a heart after God’s own heart.
Answer the following questions as honestly as you can: “Do I
regularly seek God’s presence?” “Have I become a passionate
worshipper of God?” “Am I learning to be obedient and
submissive to God in all things?” “Do I repent of sin quickly
and wholeheartedly?” “Has my heart been restored to
innocence?” “Do I have an attitude of willing service for God?”
“Do I have a reverent fear of the Lord, and do I desire to please
Him in every area of my life?” “Do I love God deeply with all
my heart?”
We cannot reflect God’s true nature unless our heart
continues to be transformed into a heart after His own heart—
so that we think as He thinks, feel as He feels, and love as He
loves. My family members and I, as well as each of the leaders
who help to carry out our ministry, have experienced the
transformation of our heart, and we continue to do so. We burn
with the desire to have a heart after God’s own heart so that we
can please Him, demonstrate our love for Him, establish His
kingdom on earth, manifest His supernatural power, and see
lives transformed by His grace. If anything inspired me to write
this book, it was the great need that God’s people have today
to experience a supernatural transformation that will give them
a heart after His own heart. If you are willing to pay the price
necessary for this to take place, I invite you to pray the
following prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing me this revelation that
I need a heart after Your own heart. I want to be a genuine
worshipper of You. I desire true intimacy with You, born out of
mutual love and respect. I want to serve You as the direct
result of my passionate worship of You. I desire to please You
and to fulfill Your will for my life in everything I do and
wherever I go as a carrier of Your presence, glory, and power to
others.
Transform my heart by removing from it everything that
displeases You and by filling it with all the qualities of Your
nature. Transform my mind and my lifestyle so that I may
honor You with every decision I make and with every step I
take. Grant me the supernatural grace of Your Spirit, so that
everything I do will be according to Your strength and not my
own, and so that my life will be a living and holy sacrifice to
You that will burn until I take my last breath on this earth. My
heart belongs to You. My life belongs to You. My chief desire
is to please You always. In the name of Jesus, amen!
12
 Conformed to Religion or Transformed by
His Presence

After we accept Christ as our Savior and receive His own

nature within us as the “new man” (Ephesians 4:24), we are
called to experience the progressive transformation of our
heart. We do not “sit out” our salvation, waiting to go to
heaven or for Jesus to return. Instead, we purposefully and
progressively move to higher levels of spiritual maturity as we
die to “self” and the sinful nature. We must allow the same
anointing from God that saved us to change our heart—a heart
that has been corrupted by sin, egotism, wicked desires,
perverse passions, emotional wounds, wrong motivations, and
many other evils.
Each person experiences transformation in a unique way,
because God’s work in each of our hearts is distinct and
special. The process is not always easy, and it can be painful;
however, after we come through it, we will see supernatural
fruit and other manifestations of God’s power in our life,
confirming that it was worth it all! (See Hebrews 12:11.)
Our Lives Are Tangible Evidence of the Supernatural
The world wants to know that it is possible to experience
genuine change, because transformation is what it desperately
needs. Our lives must provide tangible evidence to other
people that God is real and that they can have a spiritual
relationship with Him that includes supernatural
demonstrations. Many things in our world today are being
“shaken”—the global economy, nations, leaders, religious
institutions, and even the physical world. For example, there
seems to have been an increase in natural disasters, such as
earthquakes and tsunamis, and in upheavals in nature, such as
drought and changes in weather patterns. Many people are
frightened and uncertain about their lives; they sense a lack of
stability all around them—literally and figuratively—and they
want to find out what is real, what is constant, and what can
bring them true purpose in life. If they don’t see supernatural
transformation in us, they will not come to our churches,
because they don’t want just “more of the same.” They want
something that can genuinely address their deepest needs.
We must comprehend that the transformation of our heart is
not for our benefit alone but also for the sake of those who do
not yet know the God of heaven—the God who came to earth
in the person of Jesus Christ to die on the cross to free them
from sin and bondage. And now that Jesus has returned to
heaven, He has sent us to set them free (see Mark 16:15)—He
has sent us to be carriers of divine healing, deliverance, and
transformation, just as He brought divine healing, deliverance,
and transformation to people when He walked the earth. Jesus
applied the following prophecy from Isaiah 61:1 to Himself:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are
oppressed. (Luke 4:18)
When we understand our vital calling as Jesus’ followers, we
will seek to remove from our heart everything that hinders us
from fulfilling that calling.
 Christ’s special anointing—after announcing the gospel—
was to address matters of the heart.
Traps of Conformity to Religion
We have seen that one of the chief hindrances to our
transformation is conformity—conformity to people, ideas,
environments, and situations that are contrary to God’s nature
and ways. Traps of conformity are all around us, and we often
are unaware of their hold on us—especially traps of conformity
in regard to religion. Many people have altered the practice of
Christianity so that it has essentially become another religion
rather than a relationship with the living Christ. Christianity has
been structured according to a human mind-set, so that faith
has become formalized and modified; and, under these
conditions, people are no longer edified. For these reasons, let
us review various types of conformity to religion while
examining our own heart in relation to them. We must regularly
search our heart for the presence of such conformity in order to
avoid being ensnared by these traps.
1. Wanting to Please Others Above God and to
Avoid Controversy
Many pastors today preach a “gospel of conformity”—a
watered-down version of God’s message of salvation and
transformation—because they are more concerned with
pleasing other people than with pleasing God, and they want to
avoid controversy. They want to make people “feel good”
rather than challenge them to increasingly reflect the likeness
of Christ. These pastors promise blessings but leave out the
prerequisite of repentance; they offer grace without pointing
out the need for obedience and for developing a holy fear of
the Lord. Consequently, the power of the supernatural is
absent from their churches, because the people have
conformed to human egotism and self-indulgence.
By trying to please people, certain leaders have watered
down the gospel, thus departing from the true nature of the
church.
If the above scenario describes your situation—whether you
are a pastor, a worship leader, or another believer—your heart
can still experience supernatural transformation, as the
following testimony confirms. After reading one of my books,
Pastor Donald, of Paraguay, South America, was convicted to
cancel the preaching engagements he had made in accordance
with his personal agenda and to surrender his church to the
Holy Spirit, allowing God’s presence to flow freely in his
services. He exchanged his religious, traditional mentality for
the mind-set of God’s kingdom. This decision initiated a
tremendous breakthrough in regard to everything that had
been stagnant and infertile in his church. Since he surrendered
to God, hundreds of people have been healed and delivered
through his ministry. Families have been restored, creative and
financial miracles have taken place, and his congregation has
grown from 200 members to 1,500 in less than a year.
Pastor Donald says, “People used to ignore my church, even
though I would use all means of communication available to
promote it. Now, they come from every province in Paraguay,
and even from other countries, because they have heard that
miracles, healings, and deliverances take place there. They
come because they are attracted by the supernatural power of
God. Thank God that many people who used to be in bondage
to illegal drugs, crime, idolatry, and other sins are now being
saved and becoming leaders and evangelists who take the
supernatural power of God wherever they go. I am happy and
motivated, because I can say that now we are truly a Christian
church in revival. Apostle Maldonado has helped me to
understand that ‘religious’ pastors are the greatest obstacles
to God and to their churches. The people greatly need the love
of God and His supernatural power, and it is our duty and
responsibility to allow the Holy Spirit to work in our
congregations, just as we are responsible for identifying and
training others to do the same.”
A leader cannot guide people into the presence of God unless
he has already gone there himself.
2. Having an “Appearance” of Religion and
the Supernatural
Many churches have the outward appearance of being Spirit-
filled, but they lack the power of the Holy Spirit and
supernatural manifestations. “Having a form of godliness but
denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:5). God’s truth is the highest
level of reality. In contrast, a “form” of godliness is a mere
outward appearance that has no relation to reality. When the
truth of the gospel is preached, we no longer have the form of
godliness but the reality of it.
We have a form of godliness when we aren’t living according
to true faith but are merely going through the motions, or the
“mechanics,” of faith. We may sing praise songs, give
offerings, listen to the sermon, and so forth, but because the
reality is not present, we don’t enter into God’s presence and
become transformed, receiving His life and power. When we
have merely a form of godliness, nothing changes in our life.
We continue to have the same dysfunctions, emotional needs,
sicknesses, and so forth. And we keep trying to deal with them
according to human methods.
Churches that operate according to a form of godliness do not
actively or openly practice the gifts of the Spirit; in fact, the
exercise of these gifts is often discouraged. In addition,
miracles, signs, and deliverance from demon-possession are
never—or rarely—witnessed. Many of these churches claim to
want more of God, but they are cutting off the flow of His
Spirit.
These churches have been structured in such a way that their
services have a time limitation and are focused on man-made
plans rather than God-made plans. As a result, the people no
longer practice waiting on God. They go to church without
expecting to see supernatural manifestations, and they leave
without having experienced any spiritual renewal. Their mind
has been programmed to merely hear a message designed for
the intellect and/or the emotions but not to promote a
transformation of their heart.
When we don’t wait on God, we take over His role;
consequently, we fail to do what He is doing and to say what
He is saying.
We must never become complacent about the condition of our
heart, because we are all vulnerable to fall into a religious mind-
set. Conformity to religion does not occur only in “traditional”
or “mainline” churches. It occurs even in churches where
supernatural signs and wonders are manifested. It occurs
wherever people’s hearts become indifferent or rebellious.
When people are in this condition, and God’s presence does
come among them, they want to maintain the appearance and
reject Him, because they have been existing for so long without
His reality! When I preach and bring the reality of God to a
church that has been living according to mere appearance, its
condition is exposed. Many people feel intimidated when this
happens, and they may reject my message. When Jesus spoke
God’s truth to the people in the synagogue of His hometown,
the people rejected Him because their hearts were exposed, and
they did not want transformation. (See Luke 4:16–30.) But when
God’s reality touches us—and we respond to Him rather than
resist Him—we will be set free.
You can’t continue to practice a mere appearance, or “form,”
of godliness when the reality of God comes to you.

3. Abandoning the Supernatural to

Return to Religion
A number of believers have seen, heard, and experienced the
power of God but have not allowed it to have a lasting effect
on them. They have witnessed miracles, signs, and wonders,
and they may even have been used by God as His instruments
for ministering these blessings—but then they eventually
returned to religion and tradition. They may have begun to
accept lukewarm spiritual attitudes as the norm, or they may
have backed off from the supernatural because they
experienced the rejection or persecution of others, so that now
they tolerate a lack of God’s presence and power in their lives.
Their heart did not experience a genuine transformation or
“metamorphosis”—one that clearly demonstrates a “before
and after” of spiritual growth and maturity. Perhaps they were
merely “spectators” of God’s deeds, and when they got tired
being “entertained,” they left in the same condition in which
they had come. Or, maybe they became offended by something
someone said, or by a certain supernatural manifestation.
Whatever the reason, many of them went back to churches that
are spiritually powerless, lacking the manifest presence of God.
Some returned to the church they had previously left when
they were hungry to experience the supernatural. I would never
give up participating in the fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit
over a simple offense! If we turn back after witnessing the blind
see, the deaf hear, and the dead raised to life, then we have not
been transformed.
This is what happened to the Israelites whom God delivered
from slavery—those who saw the signs and wonders He
performed on their behalf in Egypt and in the desert. Rather
than experience transformation, their hearts remained cold and
hard. A similar thing occurred in relation to many of Jesus’
followers. In John 6:66, we read, “From that time many of His
disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” These
disciples had seen the arrival of God’s kingdom through Jesus
Christ—with its signs and miracles—yet they left the Lord
because they were offended by one of His teachings. They
called it a “hard saying” (John 6:60). They heard something
from Jesus that seemed too difficult for them to accept, and
they preferred to follow their human reason and pride rather
than continue to follow the Son of God.
Similarly, today, a person whose heart has not been
transformed won’t be able to tolerate certain words of
revelation given by the Lord. Have you been offended by a
“hard saying” of Jesus? We must allow God to confront us
with the true condition of our heart and to challenge us to
undergo transformation, so that we will continue to follow our
Lord, regardless of the cost to our “self” and the sinful nature.
God transforms our heart through supernatural means—His
Word, His presence, His glory, Jesus’ finished work of the
cross, and His resurrection power—bringing about permanent
change. Let us always move forward with our Lord as He
transforms our heart!
The religious spirit always opposes the move of God and the
flow of the “river” of God.
4. Holding On to Former Moves of God and Old Methods
There was a time when the people who have become “old
wineskins” were “new wineskins.” (See Mark 2:22.) They are
what we might call the “old guard”—those who cling to the
practices they have always followed and who function in the
same way they have for years. These people became “old
wineskins” because they stopped seeking spiritual renewal;
they ceased to perceive how God is working today, so that
they “leveled off” in their walk with God, conforming to the
past. Many of them developed an “I have arrived” mentality;
some have not yet progressed beyond the experience of their
new birth in Christ, never imagining that there is more for them
to receive from God or to do for Him. Yet they are often the first
to attack those who are advancing to higher levels in the Spirit.
We should respect the wisdom of those who are older, and it
is our duty to learn from those who have come before us. Yet if
someone is a true “father” of the new generation God is raising
up, he should be able to transfer a “double portion” of his
anointing from God (see 2 Kings 2:9–15), rather than criticize,
discredit, or try to destroy the current move of the Spirit.
Many of the churches led by “old wineskin” pastors used to
be places where people were saved and transformed, but now
they have become religious establishments where tradition is
valued more than the supernatural, where rules have priority
over grace, and where human structures quench the move of
the Holy Spirit. God is always bringing us something fresh. We
are living in a new spiritual season that can be understood only
by supernatural discernment, and that perspective will come to
us only by the transformation of our mind and heart. If we want
to keep moving ahead to the next plan God has for this
generation and for this world, we must be flexible and prepared
to receive what He is doing today—and what He will do
tomorrow.
Change is the enemy of the “old guard,” but everything that
doesn’t change will eventually die.
5. Missing God’s Fresh Moves—or Rejecting Them When
They Manifest
Some people in previous generations prayed to God for an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit and a visitation of His glory.
They begged for a revival. Some even prophesized that it
would come. But, when it arrived, they rejected the way in
which it manifested, saying that it didn’t come from God. They
began to accuse those who were involved with it of
unorthodoxy. None of us can declare that a divine move isn’t
genuine just because we don’t understand it. Our criticism of it
may indicate that we are spiritually stagnant, living according
to a form of religiosity that stifles the life of the Spirit and His
work in our lives.
Are you ready to let God do things His way, or do you have a
certain agenda for what you want Him to do—and how you
want Him to do it? What if God has been answering your cry
for revival, but you have not recognized it? There is always
another level of His glory to experience! We cannot personally
define how the next move of God on earth should take place.
All we can do is surrender to God so that He can show us what
is coming.
In the name of “order,” the religious spirit tries to stifle the
move
of the Spirit.
6. “Touched”—but Not Transformed
There is another aspect of conformity to religion that afflicts
some who have already experienced the supernatural—that of
being “touched” by God yet still failing to be transformed by
Him. The expression “touched by God” refers to our feeling His
supernatural power in some manner. For instance, when
someone is touched by God, he may experience intense
emotions that cause him to weep or laugh. He may fall down, or
“be ‘slain’ in the Spirit.” However, there is a problem if the
person comes away from that experience without having been
released from any of his wrong attitudes or false ways of
thinking—for example, indifference, rebellion, disobedience, or
hard-heartedness. The individual may have been touched in
his emotions and in his physical body, but the experience
never reached his innermost being.
If we fall under the presence of God, it simply means we have
made contact with His power. This experience is wonderful, but
it doesn’t necessarily indicate that we have opened ourselves
up to God during that encounter in order to be changed. When
no transformation is evident after we have had such an
experience, then we have not allowed God to operate in our
heart. The following are some examples of people in the Bible
who were touched but not transformed.
In the Old Testament, Pharaoh witnessed signs and wonders
from God through Moses, but he continually hardened his
heart and would not set the Israelites free until he was forced
to in the end. (See, for example, Exodus 7:14–25; 14.) In the New
Testament, Jesus’ disciple Judas spent three-and-a-half years
with Christ; he heard all His teachings and saw Him perform
many miracles—even the raising of the dead—but he did not
open up his heart to be transformed by God. Instead, in a
pursuit of greed and self-interest, he betrayed Christ—and
ended up destroying himself. (See, for example, John 12:3–6;
13:2, 21–30; Matthew 27:3–5.) Ananias and Sapphira were
believers in the early church. They were likely among Jesus’
followers at Pentecost, and they had seen the signs and
wonders that had accompanied the proclamation of the gospel.
Yet, motivated by greed and hypocrisy, they tried to deceive
the church by feigning the degree of their generosity. They,
too, were touched but not transformed, and the corruption of
their heart led to their deaths. (See Acts 5:1–11.)
Continuous Transformation
Only when we are exposed to higher levels in the Spirit—
realms of faith, anointing, glory, miracles, provision, and more
—and when we respond to those revelations with an open
heart, will we understand that God is greater than everything
we have seen and heard to this point. I have witnessed God
supernaturally heal the blind, deaf, mute, and lame; create new
bones and organs; raise the dead; and even control the
weather. I have seen many transformations take place in
people’s lives: drug addicts have left their addictions, agnostic
intellectuals and atheists have come to faith in Christ, churches
have grown from hundreds of members to thousands in a short
period of time, and so forth. I could list many other such
miracles and works that God has done in my ministry, as well as
the ministries of my spiritual children.
Yet I still hunger for God’s presence. I still seek transformation
daily. I know there are dimensions of His glory that I have not
yet seen and that I will enter only if I keep my eyes on Jesus
while being transformed into His image—His heart, His mind-
set, and His glory. (See Philippians 3:12–14.) We must wait on
God so that we may hear His voice and follow His direction.
Then, He will bring a change of season in our life that will lift
us out of our dry spiritual state to receive the Wellspring of
living water.
 To enter a greater dimension, we must die to what we know
and to what we have accomplished up to this point.
Many people are afraid to submit to a supernatural process
they aren’t familiar with and don’t understand. They fear losing
control, and they fear losing themselves in God. In the
following testimony, a pastor named Edgar from Bolivia shares
how his life was transformed when he surrendered his will,
stopped doing things his way, and began doing things God’s
way. “As a new graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theology,
I was named pastor of a two-hundred-member church. I began
with great momentum, but all my plans failed over and over
again. The members would attend Sunday services, but they
refused to commit to God and His work. Desperate for change, I
saw Apostle Maldonado on television and immediately
identified myself with his word, his personality, and his
anointing. I traveled to Miami to King Jesus Ministry with the
intention of asking for financial help, but nothing happened as
I had planned. The word I received in the conferences
confronted me, and I realized that I had many religious
paradigms; thus, everything was strange to me. I used to think
that the changes I had made in my church had been enough,
but then I found myself in another level of revelation.
“I had gone to Miami with a beggar’s mentality—to ask for
help—but the ministry’s response was this: ‘We don’t help
with money. Here, we lead you to your purpose. We don’t give
you the fish; we give you the fishing rod.’ This concept
revolutionized my spirit! God broke through my beggar
mentality and my religious paradigms and transformed my
heart. Two years later, I came under the spiritual covering of
the ministry. While we worked on the transition from the
pastoral to the apostolic, my own church began to change. We
established an apostolic, fatherhood government. We adopted
the vision of King Jesus Ministry, and each teaching and
impartation we received from our spiritual parents pushed us
from level to level and equipped us with powerful kingdom
tools.
“We are not the same! The prophetic word we received from
King Jesus Ministry was foundational. It gave us direction and
activated us to advance. Our congregation went from 300
people to 4,500. We identified and formed leaders (sons and
daughters of the house) and sent them to establish new
ministries. We were once a passive, dying church, but today
we are impacting our city and our surroundings. The
demonstration of supernatural power in our ministry has
become a regular occurrence. We continually see powerful
miracles.
“In the beginning of my ministry, I couldn’t get a movement
going, but today, we host monthly crusades—supernatural
evangelistic programs that are carried out on the streets and in
people’s homes—and people are being won to Christ,
discipled, and activated into leadership. We have learned to
pray, to intercede, and to do spiritual warfare in which
breakthroughs begin to take place and in which we win battles.
Our finances, which had been barely enough to pay for our
basic needs, have increased 900 percent. We have more than
25 pastors and leaders working full-time at the local level. We
started construction of an orphanage without any outside help.
We have television and radio programs—an impossibility for
most churches. We purchased land and built a church for 6,000
people—debt free!
“The greatest problems we faced when establishing the vision
were the betrayal, defamation, lack of understanding, and
isolation by other pastors in our city, but they could not
prevail when they saw the evidence of the fruit produced by
our ministry. This is supernatural acceleration, breakthrough,
and multiplication! God has transformed our mind and heart,
and everything that used to be impossible is now a reality.”
Many pastors who have turned from religion and conformity
to enter God’s supernatural movement have lost up to half their
congregations. But after they made the transition, God brought
in many new people in only a brief period of time—people who
were in love with Jesus; who were hungry to see change, the
movement of the Spirit, and the manifestation of divine power;
who entered into the supernatural realm of transformation and
expansion. Today, the numbers in these pastors’
congregations are double or even triple what they used to be.
Many people resist entering into God’s glory because to do so
means exposure and change.
God’s works are limitless. To talk about God is to talk “big”
and to think “big”—to think of multitudes of people belonging
to Him, always growing and maturing under His direction and
care. God blessed the human race with the potential for
multiplication. He told Adam and Eve to “be fruitful,”
“multiply,” and “fill the earth.” (See Genesis 1:28.) He gave
Abraham the great vision that his descendants would be as
innumerable as the stars in the sky. (See Genesis 22:17; 26:4;
Hebrews 11:12.) Jesus commissioned His disciples in the power
of the Holy Spirit to make new disciples in Jerusalem, Judea,
Samaria, and onward to the ends of the earth. (See Acts 1:8.)
God’s mind-set is one of continual growth, multiplication, and
expansion, and He calls us to have the same mentality. Many
church leaders make statements such as, “I may not have
quantity, but I have quality.” We should have both!
One of God’s smallest creations is a seed that has the
potential
to grow into a great tree. Everything God creates has the
potential to grow and to multiply.
Keys to Transition from Conformism to Transformation
There are times when God will allow us to feel dissatisfied or
discontent because He is leading us to seek something more in
Him than what we have yet seen or experienced. Consequently,
we begin to hunger and thirst for something new, something
greater, something stronger, and we start looking to Him more
and reaching for higher levels of His glory.
Are you feeling uncomfortable with the spiritual level at which
you are functioning—one that you have perhaps been “stuck”
in for a long time? Does your spirit cry out for transformation?
If so, don’t be afraid of undergoing change, because God is the
One who has placed this desire within you. It is as if your spirit
is in labor, getting ready to birth new spiritual fruit.
Transitions are birthed in the midst of spiritual
dissatisfaction and frustration. The spiritual hunger inside
you is evidence that God is calling you to a greater
dimension.
 Please understand that, during this time of transition, you may
feel as if you don’t fit in anywhere. Others may misunderstand
you and your motivations, because they do not share your
spiritual hunger—the spiritual desire that burns in your heart.
You may feel alone for a time, but then God will connect you
with other people who have the same hunger for
transformation and expansion. When you come out on the
other side of this experience transformed, you will be ready for
the new dimension of the glory of God that He wants to bring
to your life and/or ministry.
That is what happened in the life of a man named Moises from
Mexico. The following is his testimony: “Six months after
coming to know Jesus Christ, I became a youth leader and then
the national secretary of youth. I attended a seminary and
became an evangelist. I preached at healing campaigns in Latin
America and the United States, where I planted three churches.
But I reached the point at which I knew there had to be more—I
needed something new and more powerful in God.
“During a conference, I met Apostle Guillermo Maldonado.
What I experienced at that conference was a supernatural
transformation that impacted me so deeply that I requested his
spiritual covering to take this transformation to my church in
Mexico. In my thirty-one years in ministry, I had never
experienced anything like it. When I entered this supernatural
move, changes began to take place. We went from 800
members to over 3,000 in only a few months; and the
conversions and miracles multiply daily.
“We purchased land and built an auditorium. We established a
ministerial school to prepare new ministers. We participate in
community outreach programs that help homeless children, and
we bought land to assist with this purpose. We support
pastors who are experiencing financial need. Our intercession
and spiritual warfare have released miracles, multiplication, and
breakthroughs. With the transformation of our heart, we have
entered into the ‘new’ of God where the supernatural has
brought acceleration and growth to every personal and
ministerial area.”
Transformation begins when we expose our true heart to God
in order to be changed into our true identity in Christ. When
we are transformed into His image, Christ will live in us, and the
world will see Him through us.
When you have used up all of your resources but still find
yourself in the same place, transformation is necessary—and
urgent!
Has your Christianity somehow changed from being a
relationship with Christ to being a religion—a trap of
stagnancy and spiritual dryness? If you are willing to break
through that reality in order to transition to a higher level of
spiritual reality, then put into practice the following keys,
which will enable you to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He
performs this work in you. Open up your heart to God so that
you may be transformed by Him. He has only good things in
store for you—above and beyond what you can now imagine.
(See Ephesians 3:20.)
1. A Spiritual Diet of “Solid Food”
Many believers have not progressed from “milk” to “solid
food” in their knowledge and understanding of God’s Word.
The milk of God’s Word contains only the fundamentals of
faith and doctrine. “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an
infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about
righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from
evil” (Hebrews 5:13–14 niv).
The “meat” of the Word is our “solid food.” Unless we
progress in our spiritual diet from “milk” to “meat,” we may
experience spiritual “starvation.” We need specific
nourishment from the Word for each stage of our spiritual
growth. It is only as we advance from basic doctrine to the
deeper spiritual truths of the Scriptures and God’s revelation
that we will be able to continue to grow and to mature, being
continually transformed into the image of Christ.

2. The Activation of the Fivefold

Ministries
“ A n d [Jes u s ] Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians
4:11–13). Christ established the five spiritual offices—known
as the “fivefold ministry”—listed in the above passage. He
gave them to His church as “agents of change” to perfect His
people. Jesus invests Himself in the leaders He has appointed
so that they, in turn, can invest themselves in others. When
the church functions under the structure of the fivefold
ministry, believers are enabled to receive revelation from God
from each of the spiritual offices. In that way, they can partake
of the balanced diet of “solid food” they need in order to be
transformed into the image of Christ.
In fact, every believer should share what he has received from
God with others, especially his fellow Christians. This keeps
our spiritual lives fresh and current. We can’t just “fill up” on
revelation knowledge and wisdom, spiritual anointing, and
ministry gifts. When we fail to “empty” what we have received
into the lives of others, we eventually become spiritually
stagnant, having a selfish, religious mind-set.
I impart the vision of our ministry as I preach to believers in
churches around the world. I also train their leaders to become
vessels in God’s hands that will “empty” themselves into the
lives of others. These leaders are manifesting genuine
demonstrations of God’s supernatural power and grace. God is
continually revealing His presence and power in new ways,
prompting people to seek Him and to experience the ongoing
transformation of their heart.
If you are a pastor, and your local church does not yet fully
function according to the fivefold ministry, I encourage you to
begin establishing relationships with other Spirit-filled leaders
and outside ministries who can support you in the offices in
which you are lacking. Then, your people will be able to grow
spiritually in a comprehensive way. As always, you and your
members must desire transformation, or you will not allow the
anointing of these five ministries to be effective in changing
you.
3. Breakthroughs in Regard to
Your Environment
Jesus healed a certain blind man in an unusual—but prophetic
—manner. (See Mark 8:22–26.) To begin with, Jesus took him
by the hand and led him out of town, so that the restoration of
the man’s sight took place outside his normal environment.
Couldn’t Christ have healed him within the town? Of course!
But I believe there was an “atmosphere”—such as unbelief—in
that town that would have prevented the manifestation of
God’s power to supernaturally heal. After Jesus had healed the
man, He told him, in effect, “Don’t go back to town—go
directly to your house.” Why did He say that? I think the
reason was to keep the man from losing his healing by
returning to that atmosphere.
Our environment may be keeping us from transitioning into
a new dimension.
Is there anything in your environment—spiritual, physical,
emotional, intellectual, or another realm—that might be
hindering you from experiencing the transformation of your
heart and mind, making you unable to receive revelation or to
demonstrate the supernatural? Our environment can greatly
influence us to conform to false ideas and attitudes that
prevent us from being transformed. As we have noted, many
people conform to the stagnant doctrine of their religion or
their particular church denomination, or to other erroneous
beliefs that are promoted by their culture, embraced by their
family members, or adhered to by their close friends. Some
people conform to negative circumstances, such as sickness or
poverty; others conform to emotional bondage, such as fear or
depression. In all these cases, those who are trapped in
conformity must break through their oppressive
“environment,” or “atmosphere”; otherwise, they can never
become what God has called them to be through the finished
work of Christ.
Breakthroughs in regard to environment can be accomplished
only by the Spirit of God, but they are initiated as we make the
decision to surrender our life completely to God. If you have
allowed yourself to conform to others’ false beliefs because
you don’t want to offend them or make them feel
“uncomfortable,” or because you are afraid of what it will cost
you to stop conforming, you are accountable to God for your
lack of response to Him. If you know that you must break
through an environment that is spiritually stifling to you, don’t
delay! Make the decision today, take the risk, and push
through the atmosphere that is preventing you from reaching
new levels in Christ.
The following testimony, from a man named Eduardo, shows
what can happen when an individual leaves his environment in
obedience to God and surrenders his life to the Lord. Here is
his story: “I grew up in a dysfunctional home. My father
abandoned my mother when I was only sixteen years old,
leaving her with seven children to raise by herself. By the time I
was eighteen, I was drinking and having promiscuous sex. I
was also irresponsible and a liar.
“I reached a point in my life where I questioned God, asking
Him if He was even real, because my family members and I lived
such chaotic lives. I asked Him to allow me to raise a family of
my own, if He really did exist. He spoke to me in dreams and
said that I should leave my family. I didn’t understand His
request then, but I still left my country of Colombia and
journeyed to the United States.
“When I was thirty-eight, having a great void in my life, I
received Jesus as my Lord and Savior. When I went to the
altar, I immediately felt as if the great weight I had carried all my
life had been physically lifted off me—a spiritual burden of
unforgiveness, lies, and adultery that hadn’t allowed me to live
in peace. When I confessed and received Christ, I felt free and
full of joy, and the fear of death that had followed me for years
was lifted from me. In its place, the love of God entered my
heart. I thank God because He took my life of torment,
falsehood, and death and exchanged it for one of joy, peace,
and love. I understand that I have a purpose to carry out on
this earth.
“After twenty years, I can testify that God is faithful. He gave
me the family I asked for, and together we serve the Lord. I
thank Him for King Jesus International Ministry, where we
have been educated in God’s Word and where God has raised
us up as pastors to carry His Word to the ends of the earth.”
Each time God calls someone for an unusual purpose, He
calls him out of his usual environment.
4. Continual Supernatural Encounters with the Presence
of God
Perhaps the greatest obstacle blocking a move of God in the
life of an individual or group is the idea of having “arrived.” As
we have seen, many people have a difficult time accepting the
fact that there is something for them spiritually beyond what
they have already known and experienced in God. They believe
they have seen, learned, and done it “all.” What a mistake! To
think in such a way is to overlook the truth that God is infinite
in power and in creativity. There is much arrogance in such a
mentality. How can we preach about an eternal, sovereign God
—the Creator of heaven and earth—and then imagine that
there is nothing more we can learn from Him or experience in
His presence?
This mind-set is typical of the spirit of religiosity that comes to
deceive Christians and stop them from growing spiritually and
multiplying a harvest of fruit for the kingdom. If we are
unwilling to progress to new dimensions in God, then we
cannot say that we live by faith. When we already have
something, we are living by “sight” rather than by faith.
The answer is to continually seek supernatural encounters
with the presence of God. There are some people who have
never sensed the nearness of God or witnessed any of His
manifestations. In one of the countries where I ministered, a
woman approached me and said, “Pastor, I have been a
Christian for over fifteen years, but I have never experienced
the presence of God.” I have heard the same comment from
various pastors and other leaders. This leads me to wonder
what form of Christianity they have been living.
Sadly, it seems that what they have really known is religion—
human tradition that speaks of merely a historic Christ and/or
follows a series of rites and practices lacking true life and the
power to transform. Countless ministries and churches have
been founded on doctrines and theologies that have never
changed anyone’s life. The most they manage to do is provide
some information or entertainment or offer a setting where
people can get to know one another and benefit from their
association in certain ways. But those functions are identical to
the ones we would find at a social club or a trade association.
Transformation is not possible outside the presence of God.
Why follow a belief system that doesn’t produce genuine,
significant change in your life? Once we experience the
presence of God, we are inevitably transformed in some way.
And, after we have been transformed, we inevitably manifest
the effects of that transformation—we can’t help but radiate
the change.
As I wrote earlier, the world wants to see genuine
transformation take place in us, because that is what it needs.
We must provide living evidence for people to see that
supernatural encounters with God are real—and that they can
experience them! We owe the world supernatural encounters
with the presence and power of God. Accordingly, we must
preach a complete gospel—a gospel of both Word and power
(see, for example, 1 Corinthians 2:4), a gospel that continually
produces spiritual knowledge and supernatural experiences in
keeping with what has been preached.
Our God is always bringing us new revelations of Himself, new
levels of supernatural power, and new dimensions of His glory
with the manifestation of His presence. Therefore, it is essential
for us to understand and accept the fact that we don’t know
“everything” about God—“we know [only] in part” (1
Corinthians 13:9), as the apostle Paul declared. The best
approach for us to take is to be open, humble, and expectant
before God, always seeking to see, experience, and receive
something new from Him beyond what we have known to this
point.
Regardless of how much revelation we have already received,
God always has more for us! We must be transformed and
renewed by His glory through continuous encounters with His
presence, from which the new life of His Spirit flows!
Some of our heart issues can be dealt with only when we are
in the presence of God. Our changed heart is a sign that we
are moving “from glory to glory.”
Prayer for Moving from Conformity to Transformation
I believe it is time for us to make a decision. The era in which
we live demands committed Christians who are totally
surrendered to God and to His will. We cannot bring about
change in this world by presenting people with messages that
merely give them information or entertain them, or by
promoting various rules and religious formalities. We must
therefore access the supernatural power of God that can
transform people’s hearts and circumstances; otherwise, the
“Christianity” they follow will be just another religion, subject
to the present corruption of this world. Our world is collapsing
under the weight of the fall, and people’s only hope of
salvation and deliverance is Jesus Christ. Our part is to be
transformed in order to help transform others.
The purpose of Jesus’ lordship over us is to transform our
 heart,
so that He may manifest His life through us.
Sons and daughters of God, what is your decision? Will you
remain stagnant in your religion and conformity, or will you
break through your current environment to become “new
wineskins” capable of containing the “new wine” that Christ is
pouring out upon this generation? Will you join the “old
guard,” never participating in the great new manifestation of
God’s glory on earth, or will you continuously seek encounters
with the presence of God that will lead you to experience a
radical change of heart so that you can reach out to others with
His grace and power?
It is time for us to surrender our heart, our family, our work, our
talents, our past experiences, and our calling to Christ, so that
He can become Lord and Master over our whole life. When He
does, He will take responsibility for everything that concerns
us. This is the only way we can experience a true
transformation of our heart so that it may be filled with new life
—the very life of God.
If you want to make the decision to be transformed by God’s
presence, please pray the following prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come before Your presence with an open
heart—not hiding anything from You or pretending to be
“spiritual.” I recognize that I have lived according to a religious
mind-set, with patterns of conduct and deficient “structures,”
or methods, of ministry and service that have left me spiritually
stagnant. I ask You to forgive me for ignoring and/or rejecting
the supernatural. Today, I make the decision to break away
from the environments that hinder me and to begin seeking
Your presence wholeheartedly, because I am hungry and
thirsty to know Your transforming power!
Come to me, Lord, and show me the areas in my life that need
to change. I don’t want just a “touch” from You—I want a
complete transformation of my heart. I want to think as You
think. I want to believe as You believe. I want to do what You
do. Change my heart and my life. Open my spiritual eyes and
ears so that I may see and hear the move of Your Spirit and
follow it, regardless of human opinion or any other temporal,
earthly influence. I want You to dwell within me and to enable
me to become useful and relevant in service to Your kingdom.
Thank You, Lord, because my transformation begins today! In
the name of Jesus, amen!
 About the Author

Apostle Guillermo Maldonado is a man called to bring God’s

supernatural power to this generation at the local and
international levels. Active in ministry for over twenty years,
he is the founder of Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesús
(King Jesus International Ministry)—one of the fastest-
growing multicultural churches in the United States—which
has been recognized for its development of kingdom leaders
and for visible manifestations of God’s supernatural power.
Having earned a master’s degree in practical theology from
Oral Roberts University and a doctorate in divinity from Vision
International University, Apostle Maldonado stands firm and
focused on the vision God has given him to evangelize, affirm,
disciple, and send. His mission is to teach, train, equip, and
send leaders and believers to bring the supernatural power of
God to their communities, in order to leave a legacy of
blessings for future generations. This mission is worldwide.
Apostle Maldonado is a spiritual father to more than 100
pastors and apostles of local and international churches as part
of a growing association, the New Wine Apostolic Network,
which he founded.
Apostle Maldonado has authored many books and manuals, a
number of which have been translated into several languages.
His previous books with Whitaker House are How to Walk in
the Supernatural Power of God, The Glory of God, and The
Kingdom of Power: How to Demonstrate It Here and Now, all
of which are available in Spanish. In addition, he preaches the
message of Jesus Christ and His redemptive power on his
international television program, Time for Change (Tiempo de
Cambio), which airs on several networks, thus reaching
millions worldwide.
Apostle Maldonado resides in Miami, Florida, with his wife and
partner in ministry, Ana, and their two sons, Bryan and Ronald.